Forbes ranked metropolitan areas on increased tech-related jobs based on their employment growth in the sectors most identified with the high-tech economy and STEM. Among the top five are DC at #2 and Baltimore at #5.

  • No. 2: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
    Amid a surge in government spending, the capital area has enjoyed 20.6% growth in tech employment since 2001 and 20.8% growth in STEM jobs. Over the past two years, employment in both categories expanded about 4%. The Washington area boasts the second-highest proportion of tech and STEM jobs among the cities we surveyed, at 2.9 and 2.2 times the national average, respectively. There is a broadness to the tech economy in the greater D.C. area; as the Valley has become dominated by trends in web fashion, the Washington tech complex include substantial employment in such fields as computer systems design, custom programming, and private-sector research and development.

  • No. 5: Baltimore-Towson, MD
    The Baltimore metro area has benefited from the expansion in federal spending, logging 38.8% growth in tech jobs over the past 10 years and 17.2% growth in STEM.