A new report form The Brookings Institution ranks Springfield and the state of Missouri well when it comes to growth in the advanced industries sector.
The
report released this month defines advanced industries as research and development, as well as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The Springfield metropolitan statistical area ranked 11th in 2013-15 advanced industry output among 281 small metro areas measured by Brookings. The five-county area’s production of goods and services rose by 9.5 percent to $2.2 billion during the three-year time period. The advanced industries output in the Springfield metro represented 12.2 percent of all output in the region, according to the report.
Comparatively in output, Missouri ranked eighth at 4.3 percent growth 2013-15, and the U.S. average was 2.7 percent. The Show-Me State’s output moved up to $36.8 billion, accounting for 14.3 percent of growth in the state during that three-year period.
“These rankings are a testament to our efforts to move Missouri’s economy forward and to create more jobs for Missouri families,” Gov. Jay Nixon said in a news release issued yesterday.
Analyzing employment from 2013 to 2015, Springfield’s advanced industries sector grew 4.4 percent, ranking the area No. 53 in the small metro category. Last year, 12,904 worked in the sector, representing 6 percent of jobs in the region. The average salary was $56,900, according to the Brookings report.
Missouri’s job growth in the sector was 3.6 percent, ranking the state sixth with 222,996 jobs last year. The average pay was $80,581.
Comparatively, U.S. job growth in advanced industries rose 2.5 percent 2013-15, according to the report.
