The Software & Information Industry Association commissioned Content First to produce a groundbreaking study measuring the impact of the software and information industries on the U.S. and world economies. The study demonstrates how the software and information industries contribute to U.S. economic growth and job creation, represent a disproportionate share of U.S. global trade and influence and transform the business models across all sectors of the economy.
Software and Information: Driving the Global Knowledge Economy, was released by the Software & Information Industry Association in 2008 to provide policymakers, the press, and the public with objective statistics on the importance of the software and information industry to the American and global economies. The overwhelming majority of statistics presented in the report were based on objective U.S. government statistics. The study revealed the following facts:
- Software and information industries employed more than 2.7 million Americans, with employment jumping by 17 percent between 1997 and 2006, adding more than 400,000 jobs over that ten-year period.
- Software and information industries provide employment opportunities nationwide with California, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Florida as the top five ranked states in software and information employment.
- The software and information industries paid an annual average wage 78 percent higher than the annual average wage for all U.S. private sector workers, $75,400 compared to $42,400.
- The highest paid software and information industry workers were located in Washington, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, and New York.
- The nation’s software and information industries grew more than three times faster than the overall U.S. economy in 2005.
- Together, the software and information industries sold more than $60 billion through their overseas affiliates, representing 13 percent of total U.S. overseas sales through affiliates.
- Direct exports sales by U.S. software and information industries reached almost $19 billion in 2006, up by more than 30 percent from $14 billion in 2000.
Client Benefits
This project illustrates how Content First created a user-friendly report for the nation’s software and information industry to educate key audiences about these vital industries, including:
- National, state, and local policymakers
- The Press
- The Public