The digital divide in Colorado has been bridged with the availability of data, video, and voice services throughout the state. The main areas in technology that have made Colorado thrive include computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing, engineering services, and software publishing. The tax credits and other incentive programs in Colorado that are not industry-specific have greatly benefited the high tech industry in Colorado. The initiation of a new idea of capital program (CAPCO) to fund qualifying businesses at early and seed stages in the high tech industry has played a major role in making this a success. Colorado also ranks second in higher education attainment in the US, with 36% of its adult population possessing at least a bachelor's degree.
Idaho is another location where tech jobs have grown a lot recently. There were as many as 43,841 tech jobs in 2002. That number has increased by 38% in the last 10 years. Idaho's leading exports include semiconductors. The great infrastructure, costs, and resources of public services, as well as good facilities that greatly enhance business activities, place Boise, Idaho third in the nation as the best destination to do business. It's also ranked seventh in the US among cities with low crime rates, making it ideal for industries to invest there.
Homeland security in Virginia has done a lot of spending in the high tech industry, creating many jobs and promoting industry growth in the state. Though initially most of these benefits were mainly focused in Northern Virginia and Hampton, they are slowly trickling down to the rest of the state, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership director.
The city of Martinsville in southern Virginia was recently selected by the MZM Inc. Company, which provides information technology services to the federal defense and intelligence fraternity, for a database and information technology operation that will be able to create about 150 tech jobs with a budget of $4.4 million. It will last three years and will offer an annual salary that exceeds Martinsville's current average wages by three times. Since 2001 over 120 projects in the defense and homeland security departments have been given to Virginia, totaling to about $591 million in capital investments that will create 19,000 tech jobs for Virginia.
