15. Salt Lake City, UT
> Advanced industries, share of employment: 11.1%
> Advanced industries, share of output: 16.5%
> Annual avg. wage: $48,780
> Largest advanced industry: Computer Systems Design and Related Services

More than 11% of Salt Lake City’s workforce was employed in advanced industries in 2013, the 15th highest share among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas. According to the Brookings Institution, advanced industries are characterized by “deep involvement with technology research and development and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workers.” The area is one of three urban regions with densely concentrated advanced industries in Utah, a testament to the state’s diversified high-tech economy. The average venture capital deal was worth more than $9 million in the state in 2013, the seventh highest among states. In Salt Lake City, venture capital tech start-up investments totalled $275 million during the first nine months of last year, one of the largest such investments compared to other metro areas, according to the Associated Press. Investment in technology is a major contributor to the prosperity of advanced industries.

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14. Ogden-Clearfield, UT
> Advanced industries, share of employment: 11.3%
> Advanced industries, share of output: 20.5%
> Annual avg. wage: $40,180
> Largest advanced industry: Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing

Most of Ogden-Clearfield residents working in advanced industries were employed in motor vehicle parts manufacturing. Aerospace product manufacturing was a close second, employing 3,570 area residents. Activity in the region’s advanced industries accounted for 20.5% of the area’s total economic output in 2013, one of the highest contributions. However, the presence of such industries did not raise wages as much as in other large metro areas. The overall average wage in the Ogden area was $40,180 in 2013, nearly the lowest compared to other large metro areas. Among advanced industry workers, the average wage was $60,580. This was also one of the lowest wages compared to wages among advanced industry workers in other cities, although it was higher than the national average wage of $50,130.

13. Raleigh, NC
> Advanced industries, share of employment: 11.7%
> Advanced industries, share of output: 23.4%
> Annual avg. wage: $51,630
> Largest advanced industry: Computer Systems Design and Related Services

As in most areas with high concentrations of advanced industries, Raleigh metro area residents were very well educated. Nearly 44% of adults in the area had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2013, the sixth highest proportion among large metro areas. The presence of large universities nearby such as Duke University, North Carolina State, and the University of North Carolina helped raise educational attainment rates and likely contributed to the high density of advanced industries. The largest advanced industry was computer systems design and related services, with 14,780 employees in 2013. From 2010 to 2013, employment in the area’s advanced industries grew at an annualized rate of 5.2%, the 16th fastest growth rate and nearly double the growth rate for the nation. Raleigh’s unemployment rate of 4.3% in November was also one of the lowest rates among large metro areas. The regional growth is good news for the nation as a whole. At the beginning of the year, President Barack Obama called Raleigh the newest U.S. high-tech manufacturing hub.