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The Fastest-Growing Tech State Is... Minnesota

Nerval's Lobster writes: What's the fastest-growing state for technology jobs? You might be tempted to say California or New York, or even North Carolina. But according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it's actually Minnesota, which saw the size of its tech workforce jump 8.36 percent over the past six months, to 37,600 workers. Utah and Nebraska came in second and third on the list of fastest-growing states, with six-month tech-employment gains of 5.75 percent and 5.22 percent, respectively. Michigan and Florida came in fourth and fifth. States with smallish tech-worker populations can enjoy heady growth rates by adding relatively few workers. But not all states saw their tech workforce grow in the first half of 2015. Four states—Pennsylvania, Washington, North Carolina, and Alabama—actually saw their workforce decline by 0.61 percent, 0.63 percent, 2.36 percent, and 3.52 percent, respectively, during the period in question. The declines in Washington and North Carolina may come as a surprise to anyone following those states' tech industries, which are quite robust. In Washington's case, layoffs at Microsoft and other firms over the past few months may have contributed to the slight decline.

109 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. Echo chamber? by mr_mischief · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So Dice is posting about a Dice story that references government reports, but provides links only to Dice job searches. Why would it be so damaging to link to the actual data?

    1. Re:Echo chamber? by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      It's Nerval's Lobster, pretty much all of whose posts link to Dice.

      Which means either someone's really excited about Dice, or is on the damned payroll.

      And I know which I'm betting on.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  2. It's those damned midwest liberals by damn_registrars · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    There they go, creating tech jobs and all that. Terrible people, they are.

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    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1

      Pick your poison. 101F in austin today which is DOWN from yesterday, high sales tax, high property tax. But no state income tax and land/housing is cheap.

      I'm not afraid of -20F. Sales tax is lower, property tax is 1/2 what I pay for a same price house, income tax would be very high. Hard to say about housing without doing a lot of research.

      So it's not a clear win either way really. Both places beat the crap out of say, San Jose, but compared to the rest of the country it seems like you could do better or worse.

    2. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by Life2Death · · Score: 1

      Minnesotan here, who now lives in Wisconsin and works in tech.

      The temp variations are the following: -40'F to 110'F, while rare to see either more than once a year, if that, it does feel worse because it also gets stupidly windy and dry (making it feel colder) and humid and stagnant, making it feel like hell would be cooler.

    3. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by sensei+moreh · · Score: 1

      101F in Austin today? It's only 81F. You must mean Austin, TX, rather than Austin, MN (home of the Spam that apparently passes for food around here).

      I'm not afraid of -20F; if I were, I wouldn't be living here. The one good thing about -20F is that you can dress for it; there's only so much clothing you can shed to deal with 101F.

      --
      Geology - it's not rocket science; it's rock science
    4. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Whenever I get a passing thought of moving back to the tundra, I pick up my old Swedish army surplus coat and curl it a few times. Thought passes quickly.

      For all the things wrong with NorCal; MN is even more fruitcake liberal and the environment is hell on earth in summer and winter. 110 with 10% humidity beets 100 with 80% every time.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    5. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by plopez · · Score: 1

      You forgot the part about TX being a one party theocracy.

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      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    6. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Pick your poison. 101F in austin today which is DOWN from yesterday, high sales tax, high property tax.

      Yeah, but they make up for it with spectacular BBQ. Except for certain parts of the Minneapolis metro area, you just cannot get good barbecue in Minnesota.

       

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    7. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I have family in Minnesota, you can't get good anything up there. It's like the entire region decided their cuisine is going to be "meat and potatoes" and damned if you're going to put any seasoning (or sauce) on your meat. Nothing has any flavor except maybe salty. Pizza options are just sad, "Mexican" is unseasoned hamburger and cheese on a tortilla, "Chinese" is the closest thing to having a flavor, but the "Chinese" restaurant we found, the only flavor was "sweet and sour".

      My mother says her friends would not eat the deviled eggs she brought to a potluck dinner once because the paprika on top made them "too spicy" to eat.

    8. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1

      Austin, TX is not a one party theocracy. The rest of the state I fly over. But Austin isn't so bad.

    9. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by HairyNevus · · Score: 1

      I have family in Minnesota, you can't get good anything up there. It's like the entire region decided their cuisine is going to be "meat and potatoes" and damned if you're going to put any seasoning (or sauce) on your meat.

      What part of the entire state of MN does your family live in? Since this article mostly refers to the metro area of Mpls/St. Paul, I can safely call bullshit on your anecdote. I live a few blocks from a stretch of Minneapolis aptly named "Eat Street" and I literally could not swing a cat without hitting a restaurant/eatery/gastro pub (whatever the place calls itself...) that proved you wrong. That said, I have family out in Glencoe, MN and the ffod choices out there do tend to fall into the bland meat & potatoes category. But even Glencoe has a good Chinese restaurant that does more than sweet and sour and an awesome Mexican food truck.

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    10. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      In Minnesota Republicans are Democrats and Democrats are Communists.

      Once you understand that fact, the states politics snaps into focus.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    11. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by Bengie · · Score: 1

      110'F is very rare. Rarely even hit 100f in a given year. -40f isn't too far off, more likely than 100f. All the really bad winter storms are weakened by the time they pass over Minn.

    12. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by dywolf · · Score: 1

      That still leaves Bachmann unexplained.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    13. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      I don't remember any 110F, ever. There are the occasional summers that will hit 100F a time or three, and they may or may not get more frequent. The last two have been quite mild and comfortable.

      -40 (doesn't matter if it's F or C, and it can't be K) happens in the northern parts of the state. -30F is very rare in the Twin Cities, although it's wise to expect temperatures at or below -20F sometime in any given winter.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    14. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      You're overlooking the Minnesota tendency to elect strange people. We've had Rudy Perpich and Jesse Ventura as governors, Paul Wellstone in the Senate, and more at lower levels. I think we were the first state to elect a Muslim to Congress (are there any now except Ellison?). There are also some extreme Congressional districts. I don't think either Ellison or Bachmann would have been elected in any districts other than the Fifth and the Sith respectively.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    15. Re:It's those damned midwest liberals by dywolf · · Score: 1

      Oh yes. That would explain it. I forgot about The Body.

      I guess I was mainly thinking that the same place that sent Al Franken to Washington also chose Bachmann, and the two are almost complete polar opposites. And I've been to various parts of Minnesota, and myself never met anyone who was actually crazy or seemed crazy enough to vote for her (unlike my time in GA).

      And I'm guessing Sith is a Freudian slip?

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  3. Law of large numbers by sjbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Whether something is the fastest growing has a lot to do with where it started. It's a lot easier to double a small number than it is to double a big one. I wouldn't expect traditional tech hubs like California or Massachusetts to grow fast because they are already large. It's not even a little surprising that some place not normally considered a hotspot for tech jobs would grow the fastest.

    1. Re:Law of large numbers by aitikin · · Score: 1

      Came to point this out. Especially when that place is having fast growth in virtually every job sector like Minnesota (although the growth in this sector outweighs their average).

      --
      "Don't meddle in the affairs of a patent dragon, for thou art tasty and good with ketchup." ~ohcrapitssteve
    2. Re:Law of large numbers by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      As has been pointed out, it's yet another story linking back to dice.

      Which means we already know not to expect quality writing.

      It's click-whoring, just like every other time Dice is linked to from Slashdot.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:Law of large numbers by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Any companies not run by marketers?

      There is a difference between working for a companies IT department and a company that makes it's money in tech. One place you are a cost, the other you are a rainmaker.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re:Law of large numbers by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      "The Republicans hate technology. "

      That's why the Republicans won't let us have nuclear power, GMOs, vaccines, dental fluoride, and research telescopes on high mountain peaks.

    5. Re:Law of large numbers by jordanjay29 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Because it's the only thing they can make fun of.

      They can't make fun of our Minnesota Nice attitude (we'd probably just laugh it off anyway).

      They can't make fun of our state fair, which is the biggest in terms of attendance per day (second only to Texas in terms of sheer attendance, but they have to run it twice as long just to get there).

      They can't make fun of our beautiful scenery, from wooded forests to Lake Superior to grassy plains and a lake every way you look.

      They can't make fun of our political successes, our progressive attitudes that care for people, or our economic sensibilities that actually work.

      No, the only thing that people outside of Minnesota can make fun of is the weather. And if that's the worst they can do, then bring it on!

    6. Re:Law of large numbers by swillden · · Score: 2

      Whether something is the fastest growing has a lot to do with where it started. It's a lot easier to double a small number than it is to double a big one.

      True, but in the case of Utah, it's already pretty large. 20 years ago, in the hey day of Novell and Word Perfect, Utah was actually #2 behind California in software revenue (total, not per capita), and while it declined quite a bit as those companies died, it never went away. Their failure created lots of tech startups because, frankly, after living in Utah not many people want to move to California, while the flow the other direction is pretty large, and because the CS programs of the University of Utah and Brigham Young University kept pumping out the talent supply that created Novell and Word Perfect in the first place.

      So being in second place means tech in Utah is pretty healthy. In my experience Minneapolis is also a pretty hot spot, and has been for a long time, as is Omaha. So I'd say all three are cases of significant tech industries experiencing healthy growth, not small areas just getting started.

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    7. Re:Law of large numbers by swillden · · Score: 2

      It's a lot easier to double a small number than it is to double a big one.

      True, but when states where the Republicans are gaining more control are decreasing, that is bad. They hate things they don't understand. They want to remain ignorant. That is why they are destroying so many tech jobs.

      Is that why the most Republican state in the country is #2 in growth? #3 is pretty red, too. #1 is moderately blue.

      (Note: I live in Utah, but am not a Republican. Though I do tend to vote for more Republicans than Democrats.)

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    8. Re:Law of large numbers by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Whether something is the fastest growing has a lot to do with where it started.

      Another genius. Minnesota has traditionally had among the highest employment-population ratios in the country from before these latest statistics.

      http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/20...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    9. Re:Law of large numbers by hey! · · Score: 2

      Exactly. Given that a jump of 8.36% yields a statewide figure of 37,600, that means that Minnesota added about 2,900 jobs last year. That's not nothing, but in absolute terms it's not that much. California added 32,800 tech jobs last year; Texas 20,100; Florida 12,500; Massachusetts 8,700; and Michigan 8,100.

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    10. Re:Law of large numbers by whizzard · · Score: 1

      Obligatory xkcd.

    11. Re:Law of large numbers by LunaticTippy · · Score: 1

      I make fun of your accent. [mom from minnesota]

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      Man, you really need that seminar!
    12. Re:Law of large numbers by unimacs · · Score: 2

      Let's get real for a moment. I grew up here.

      The climate sucks by comparison to almost everywhere else. It's nice just often enough to know what we are missing when it's not.

      The food is bland across the entire state, even in the cities. Spaghetti is considered a spicy ethnic delicacy.

      We are stifled by Marxist politics and oppressed by the nanny state

      The mosquitoes are ginormous

      The ratio of women to men is only 50 to 50 which is not nearly good enough for males in the tech industry to have any real hope for a love life.

      In popular culture we are most well known for our accent and creative use of wood chippers.

      Let the open tech jobs go unfilled. Those of us already here in the tech industry will do our best to slog through the constant blizzards to do the jobs that companies can't pay enough for outsiders to take.

    13. Re:Law of large numbers by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Phony nice: easy to make fun of. See also Canada. New Yorkers are, at least, honest (fuck you).

      The fact that you brag on your state fair shows how boring the rest of the state is. Easy to make fun of. Most people are barely aware their state has a fair, because they have better things to do then eat deep fried chocolate covered ludafisk in a cup.

      Beautiful scenery? If that qualifies, so does Iowa, Kansas and northern Saskatchewan.. In the eye of the beholder. You really should leave the state before making such claims.

      Politics? Now I know you are on crack.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    14. Re:Law of large numbers by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      We can make fun of the mosquitoes, just like you do.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    15. Re:Law of large numbers by unimacs · · Score: 1

      Aren't politics also in the eye of the beholder? Whether or not you like the politics in Minnesota would sort of depend on your political beliefs. For that matter, no matter what your politics are, you could find a happy place there (and I suppose anywhere). Everyone from Michelle Bachman, to Al Franken, to Jess Ventura has found a niche in Minnesota politics.

    16. Re:Law of large numbers by swillden · · Score: 2

      Then you haven't met many.

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    17. Re:Law of large numbers by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      New Yorkers are just assholes. They complain about weather that's not even half as bad as ours. Sorry, next.

      We know about our State Fair because people actually attend (as I mentioned above). It's not called the Great Minnesota Get Together for nothing. It's actually a serious affair, and yes, a large part of that is because Minnesota remains a significant agrarian state. The difference between Minnesota and other states with a blend of agriculture and industry is that we embrace our heritage and our progress together.

      Minnesota does have beautiful scenery. That doesn't mean that other places don't. I'm not sure what exactly you have a problem with here. Maybe you need to step outside and enjoy some beautiful scenery yourself.

      Well, politics are politics, no one's truly going to agree. Even in Minnesota, where we put a gay marriage ban on the ballot, voted it down, and then the legislature vote in a bill legalizing it. I don't think anyone could say the entire state was 100% behind every action that took place there, but here's the point of it all: Minnesota hasn't challenged the bill in court. We made something happen and moved on with our lives, we didn't lose ten years in court bickering and dividing our society along battle lines. I'm not sure how many other states can really say that for such a divisive issue.

    18. Re:Law of large numbers by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      Oh, the mosquitoes. I nearly forgot about our state bird, thank you!

    19. Re:Law of large numbers by alzoron · · Score: 1

      My religion i just created has shown unprecedented growth over the past few minutes. It's showing [ERROR: DIVIDE BY ZERO]% growth and shows no signs of slowing down.

    20. Re:Law of large numbers by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      There are tech firms in Minnesota. I work for one.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    21. Re:Law of large numbers by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      That's spelled "lutefisk", it had an impact on Minnesota food preparation laws (can't outlaw it, can we?), and at the State Fair it's expected to be on a stick, not in a cup.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    22. Re:Law of large numbers by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Damn. I'd have to convert one other person just to get 100% growth!

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    23. Re:Law of large numbers by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      And if you deep fry it and call it something like Deep Fried Lutefisk, people will actually buy it and rave about how good it is to the guy standing in line with them at the Giant Slide.

    24. Re:Law of large numbers by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      Well, keep an eye on Wisconsin, because as long as their "right to work" laws stay in effect, they're going to have a hard time hiring anyone who's not already living there in the first place.

    25. Re:Law of large numbers by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      OK. Spelled 'Lutefisk' but pronounced 'stink bait'.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    26. Re:Law of large numbers by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      New Yorkers are just assholes.

      Knowing this is just below the surface of all the phony niceness is why the rest of the world treats you like 'tards.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    27. Re:Law of large numbers by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      I didn't say I liked the stuff....

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  4. Very good fiber in Minneapolis by HongPong · · Score: 2

    Don't forget you can get very good fiber access in a large part of Minneapolis http://fiber.usinternet.com/

    Would you like reasonably priced 10Gbps? No problemo! Ping times below 4ms? Done! yay!

    1. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by hypethetica · · Score: 1

      don't move to marcy holmes neighborhood- 12mb tops here.

    2. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by holmstar · · Score: 1

      USI is expanding aggressively. I wouldn't be surprised if they've crossed the river in a year or two.

    3. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by Whatsisname · · Score: 1

      They only have fiber in southwest Minneapolis. Everywhere else is USI wireless which is contracted through the city.

    4. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by swb · · Score: 1

      And only parts of Southwest Minneapolis. My neighborhood doesn't have it, but I think part of that may be cursed geography. We were the LAST neighborhood to get DSL in the city.

      However, CenturyStink is going to be offering it soon. They had utility subcontractors stringing fiber along the poles in our neighborhood a few months ago.

      My hope is that it will prod USI to get our neighborhood covered as well, and that CL will sell internet access only, and not require phone service, TV, and other valu-add bullshit.

    5. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by M0bius · · Score: 1

      If by large part you mean Uptown, then yes. USI said they will only roll out fiber to neighborhoods where their wireless network is saturated. That is unlikely to happen anywhere else. If USI isn't available where you are, it won't be. I'd like that not to be the case so if I'm wrong about this, I'd enjoy hearing it. CenturyLink on the other hand, is rolling out fiber in other parts of the city, which is what I have now.

    6. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by Gazzonyx · · Score: 1

      Centurylink has been sending me monthly junk mail about gigbit connections being available in West Saint Paul; every time I try to throw money at them they offer me 4 mbit service for the price I'm getting 60 mbit from Comcast. I'm house shopping in downtown west Minneapolis simply based on proximity to our Minneapolis office and connectivity at this point. I could buy where they all say they're expanding to, but at the moment they're not even in the neighborhoods they think they're in.

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    7. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by Gazzonyx · · Score: 1

      Apropos Centurylink in the Cities, see my post below : http://tech.slashdot.org/comme...

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      If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.

    8. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      We're next to Marcy-Holmes, and just got 40 MBit fiber. We can get faster, but I'm reluctant to pay for it until I find we have a use for it. (I'm perfectly willing to let a Linux distro go all night.)

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    9. Re:Very good fiber in Minneapolis by toddestan · · Score: 1

      They've been saying that fiber will coming to my neighborhood "Soon!" since I moved in. I moved in 2008. On the other hand, their DSL has been extremely reliable, and that means I don't have to give any money to Comcast.

  5. What a silly misuse of statistics by Frequency+Domain · · Score: 1

    When you start with a small denominator, small changes in the numerator show as large proportions or high growth rates. This is why politicians like to point to trough-to-peak numbers when talking about their own records and peak-to-trough when talking about their political opponents. It's why some little rinky-dink county in New Mexico has the highest recorded per-capita death rate from traffic accidents—there was one fatal car crash there at a time when the county population was half a dozen people. It's why a high-school science project reported a 66.7% mortality rate when supplements were added to frog's diets—only one of the frogs lived.

    1. Re:What a silly misuse of statistics by unimacs · · Score: 2

      Actually there's always been a fair number of tech jobs here, - going back to Control Data and Cray Research. Seagate has a major presence here. There's long history of medical device development/manufacturing and 3M has its tentacles everywhere.

      If you went to the CES keynote this past winter you will have heard of "SmartThings", a major player in the IOT/smart home market. They came out of a very active "Maker" community.

    2. Re:What a silly misuse of statistics by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      When you start with a small denominator

      Minnesota has had among the highest employment-population ratios in the country since 1976. So no, they did not start with a "small denominator". You could have learned that easily enough.

      http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/20...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re:What a silly misuse of statistics by Frequency+Domain · · Score: 1

      The number of tech employees there is small compared to Silicon Valley, Research Triangle, or the Northeast Corridor. Each additional employee in Minn. is therefore a larger proportional addition.

    4. Re:What a silly misuse of statistics by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Each additional employee in Minn. is therefore a larger proportional addition.

      Way to double down on the stupid:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      An active high-technology sector is represented today by Alliant Techsystems, Ceridian, Cray, Digi International, Digital River, Geek Squad, Hutchinson Technology, Imation, IBM Rochester, Lawson Software, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, Stratasys, SPS Commerce, 3M, and more than 400 smaller software companies.

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    5. Re:What a silly misuse of statistics by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      With total tech employment slightly larger than tech job _growth_ in CA.

      Way to go all in on stupid.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    6. Re:What a silly misuse of statistics by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      With total tech employment slightly larger than tech job _growth_ in CA.

      What does that mean in regard to total population?

      Minnesota is in the top 12 states for total tech jobs.

      So, once again, stupid: The denominator is not low.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  6. Re:NC by OhPlz · · Score: 1

    You guys don't have elections? Seems like if it was one party's fault, that could easily be rectified.

  7. Re:Not enough women in Minnesota by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

    I saw an old documentary (Fargo). The women seem nice and slutty and willing to throw a funny looking dude some love.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  8. Flawed statistic by bobthesungeek76036 · · Score: 1

    Maybe they should rank by number of jobs instead of % growth. When you go from 0 to something, the % is far greater than something big to something bigger...

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    Karma: Bad
  9. Re:No Surprise by halfEvilTech · · Score: 1

    Except that the Minneapolis metro area is the 16th largest metropolitan area by population in the US. So I would say a fair number of people live there. Now if you move say more than 30 miles outside the metro, the populations drop off fast.

    There are a few exceptions of course like Rochester which is home to the famed Mayo Clinic.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  10. Re:No Surprise by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    In the 80s 3M was desperate for Engineers. They spent a fortune attracting 100+ CA engineers and tracked the results. At the end of the second winter they had one left. He was from there originally.

    For those considering it. Fargo is a documentary. Beware.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  11. Re:No Surprise by OzPeter · · Score: 1

    Flyover states have cheap energy, because it's the only way they can attract businesses. There's only one problem... nobody wants to live there.

    Right now I am doing a short term contract in Salt Lake City for a high tech manufacturing firm. When I got here I bought "60 hikes within 60 miles of Salt Lake City" and have been hitting the trails every weekend - and the majority of the hikes are within 30 minutes of where I live.. The place abounds with hiking, mountain biking and horse trails covering terrain from desert to 10,000 foot peaks. When winter hits this will all turn to skiing and snowmobiling. If none of that fitness stuff is what you like, I have heard machine guns being fired at local gun ranges. Or if not that .. there is a variety of arts as well - the Book of Mormon was playing here a few weeks ago, but unfortunately I missed it. So there is plenty of things to do for all sorts of people.

    The downside to UT is of course the confluence of politics and religion. As an example you can only buy wine at state run ABC shops, and the beer you can buy at the supermarkets is not very strong. And the state does have a strong conservative streak. On the other hand there is a bit of public art down town showing a flying saucer with a human dressed as a Mormon missionary standing behind the alien flying the ship - so some people have a decent sense of humor.

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  12. When you start low, it's easy to get high percent by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

    Yeah! When you start out really close to zero it is easy to get a big percent growth. If there are 1000 jobs in a state and 100 new jobs are added, that is 10% growth. If you only started out at 10 jobs and had 100 new jobs created, that is 1000% growth. Look how well we are doing.

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    -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
  13. I wouldn't have guessed it, but not surprising. by m.w.hurley · · Score: 1

    Tech has been humming along in MN for a while. Apparently not based on absolute size. I'm going off what I know about the job market and what types of companies are in the MSP metro area. Minneapolis has quite a bit. There's also a decent tech cluster in the Bloomington, Edina, and Eden Prairie cluster of cities in the suburbs.

  14. Re:Correct by bobthesungeek76036 · · Score: 1

    You're a "team manager" for a "Fortune 500" company and you don't know how to spell "Austin, TX"? -- FAIL!

    --
    Karma: Bad
  15. Target by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 1

    Target is headquartered in Minneapolis. I suspicion they hired more than a few IT folk to help mop-up the blood.

  16. Re:No Surprise by holmstar · · Score: 1

    For those considering it. Fargo is a caricature. Beware.

    I've lived in the Minneapolis/St Paul area my entire life and have rarely ever heard anyone talk like that. Weather wise, around minneapolis (where the vast majority of the tech workers will be found) the temperature varies from a windy around -20 F in the deepest part of winter to around 100 F & high humidity in the hottest days of summer.

  17. Re:Alabama lynchings by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    These days, you would be talking about that other Birmingham. And not just if Aston Villa loses to Manchester United.

  18. Re:No Surprise by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    the Book of Mormon was playing here a few weeks ago, but unfortunately I missed it.

    It's OK, you can catch the recap on South Park.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  19. Re:NC by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    You guys don't have elections? Seems like if it was one party's fault, that could easily be rectified.

    Not when the party in power actively works to suppress the other side from being able to vote.

    North Carolina has the worst record on voting rights. If you're black, you can expect to wait in line 24 times longer to vote than white people. If you need a state ID, and you're black, you're going to have to drive three times farther to get a new ID, and if you're black, you can expect to have your congressional district gerrymandered into the neighboring four Republican districts, thus diminishing your vote. Black people in North Carolina have traditionally been the population most likely to use early voting. So of course, the Republican legislature in North Carolina decides to cut way back on early voting.

    North Carolina is some beautiful country, but the state is run by a bunch of ignorant racist peckerheads. Best to stay away unless for some reason you're looking for a state where the age of consent is 16.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com...

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  20. Re:No Surprise by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    This pretty much describes northern Arizona, but without the oppressive religious atmosphere.

    There is one more difference: around here, if you suddenly hear a lot of gunfire off in the distance, it's just the opening day of tourist season.

  21. Re:NC by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Have you ever been to North Carolina?

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  22. Re:NC by plopez · · Score: 1

    You forgot gerrymandering and voter suppression.

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  23. Its not hard by YoungManKlaus · · Score: 1

    Gowing from Zero to One is infinite growth ;)

  24. Re:No Surprise by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

    Unless you're from Seattle and flying to Chicago, nobody really flies over Minnesota. Planes overhead are either coming or leaving.

  25. Re:When you start low, it's easy to get high perce by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Yeah! When you start out really close to zero it is easy to get a big percent growth.

    Why, you stupid sonofabitch. Are you really so lazy that you couldn't spend ten seconds to learn that Minnesota has been among the states with the highest employment-population ratios for years before these latest statistics before making an ass of yourself? Don't you have any self-respect?

    http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/20...

    And by the way, the states with the lowest employment-population ratios are (take a guess) West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi and New Mexico.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  26. Re:.NET Consultant from MN here... by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

    Except that $200k would be worth more in Minnesota than it would in CA, TX or NY, our cost of living is much lower and your dollar goes much further.

  27. Re:NC by Rockoon · · Score: 1

    and if you're black, you can expect to have your congressional district gerrymandered into the neighboring four Republican districts, thus diminishing your vote.

    ..because black people can't be republican.

    I've got an idea, you racist fuck. Just fucking die.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."
  28. Re:NC by vandelais · · Score: 1

    I believe Asian American is the preferred nomenclature.

    --
    Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
  29. Re:When you start low, it's easy to get high perce by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

    Wow, you are going to call me stupid. You really make yourself look like a complete moron then! You did see that it is tech growth, not all employment, right. Oh, perhaps that is too complicated of a sentence for someone as brain-dead as yourself.

    And really, I was simply referring to the fact that having a large growth is a misleading measurement since starting out small makes it much easier to have a large growth. To double 1 person takes only 1 person. To double a million will take another million. But then, doubling your stupidity would take more energy than exists in the known universe, so that is pretty interesting!

    --

    -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
  30. This should be in your paid advertisement section by __aawrdx9657 · · Score: 1

    Slashdot, how far you have fallen. On the heels of SourceForge, this story is a perfect example why more of us are seeking elsewhere for our tech news. Have the decency, if you have been paid by Dice for this post, to actually label it as such. A search for this report in the website of the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals nothing that can be spun as in your story:

    http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.toc.htm

    PLEASE have some integrity, and source/reference your stories.

  31. Re:NC by Rockoon · · Score: 1

    Doesn't matter. That district will still be the target for "redistricting" because of racism in state government.

    The only racist in evidence here is PopeRatzo (965947) who not only doesn't think that blacks can be republicans, but also thinks that blacks want their own segregated voting district.

    Segregation supported by a Democrat. They just don't change.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."
  32. Re:NC by OhPlz · · Score: 1

    Here in the northeast, it's the Democrats that usually win when the lines are redrawn. It's part of our system. Someone has to draw the lines, right? No one is going to trust some outside group like the UN to do it. As long as it's done by people, some groups will benefit, others won't. That's not exactly what I'd call a "rigged election". There are no fake ballots or disappearing ballots or polling stations that weren't open or that type of nonsense. Yea, if the district lines were in different places, the results may have been different. But that's always going to be the case.

  33. Re:NC by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    The only racist in evidence here is PopeRatzo (965947) who not only doesn't think that blacks can be republicans

    They can. They just know better for the most part.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  34. Re:When you start low, it's easy to get high perce by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Wow, you are going to call me stupid. You really make yourself look like a complete moron then! You did see that it is tech growth, not all employment, right. Oh, perhaps that is too complicated of a sentence for someone as brain-dead as yourself.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    The University of Minnesota trained many computer specialists who decided to stay in the Minnesota rather than move to sunny California. Minnesota thus preceded the better-known industrial districts of Route 128 around Boston and Silicon Valley.[20] An active high-technology sector is represented today by Alliant Techsystems, Ceridian, Cray, Digi International, Digital River, Geek Squad, Hutchinson Technology, Imation, IBM Rochester, Lawson Software, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, Stratasys, SPS Commerce, 3M, and more than 400 smaller software companies.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  35. Re:No Surprise by NoBrakes58 · · Score: 1

    True story. I live just over 10 miles west of downtown Minneapolis and work just under 10 miles further west. Minneapolis has a population of 400,000ish; the suburb I live in has a population around 70,000; the town I work in is about 6,000 and my office is quite literally next to a farm field (I stood in the building and watched the hay baler out the window a couple of weeks ago). My commute goes from reasonable suburb to cornfields in about 7ish miles. By comparison, the house I grew up in 35 miles north of downtown Chicago is in a town similar to where I live now about 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis.

  36. Re: When you start low, it's easy to get high perc by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

    What is your point? Many simply means more than a few. What? Like 5 or 10? That is not very informative.

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    -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
  37. Re:.NET Consultant from MN here... by netsavior · · Score: 1

    Except that $200k would be worth more in Minnesota than it would in CA, TX or NY, our cost of living is much lower and your dollar goes much further.

    How do you figure? Consumer Prices in Dallas, TX are 0.81% lower than in Minneapolis, MN
    Consumer Prices Including Rent in Dallas, TX are 3.79% lower than in Minneapolis, MN
    Rent Prices in Dallas, TX are 9.38% lower than in Minneapolis, MN
    Restaurant Prices in Dallas, TX are 5.02% higher than in Minneapolis, MN
    Groceries Prices in Dallas, TX are 14.24% lower than in Minneapolis, MN
    Local Purchasing Power in Dallas, TX is 0.16% lower than in Minneapolis, MN

    So I guess unless you eat out for every meal, Texas is way cheaper.
    Not to mention Texas has no state income tax... so add 5% to all of that.

  38. Re:.NET Consultant from MN here... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Except you'd be banking it, waiting for the day you leave. Like Saudi and MacMurdo Station.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  39. Re: When you start low, it's easy to get high perc by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    What is your point? Many simply means more than a few. What? Like 5 or 10? That is not very informative.

    Minnesota is #11 (out of 50) for total tech jobs.

    So, the denominator is not so small.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  40. Re:Correct by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    Was that a spelling flame?

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  41. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  42. Re:No Surprise by erp_consultant · · Score: 1

    No kidding. I worked in Minneapolis one winter. Just about froze my nads off. Fortunately I was in a hotel and my customer was in an office building that was connected via a covered walkway.- I called it the human ant farm - so I could just zig zag through the walkways without having to go outside. But when I did have to outside - holy shit!

    I couldn't wait for spring, which was nice but short. Then came summer and 90% humidity and giant mosquitoes. Almost all of the people I met had lived there for generations. They were used to the cold and it didn't bother them.

    It seemed to me like a cleaner, nicer version of Chicago. Same crappy weather, just a little nicer in other ways.

  43. 8% is nothing. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    My home town changed its tech worker count by a whooping 800%!

    Yeah, they had one IT guy in the administration of the mayor and with the new startup that employs 8 programmers...

    In other words, percentages are meaningless if you don't also tell us the total number. Of course the fastest growing tech state simply CANNOT be California. Because you'd have to hire a few thousands if not tens of thousands of tech people to even change it by a single digit percentage. It's far easier to come up with insane looking percentages if the starting point is somewhere near zero.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:8% is nothing. by Gazzonyx · · Score: 1

      8% is nothing, but it holds more weight than "[...] It's far easier to come up with insane looking percentages if the starting point is somewhere near zero" as a counter argument without a single citation for the assumption upon which your argument against lacking numbers appears to hinge. That being said, both are technically true statements that actually express nearly nothing. I wasn't going to respond, but I'm a little bit disappointed as I usually enjoy (and agree with, to varying degrees) your posts.

      Full disclosure, Philly area ex-pat, living and writing software in the Twin Cities (we have 4 software engineer positions open up in the R&D department in the last 4 months since being acquired back in October), having turned down a Fortune 10 Silicon Valley firm that couldn't offer me what I get here (subjectively and partially objectively speaking).

      --

      If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.

  44. Growth percentages by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Another genius. Minnesota has traditionally had among the highest employment-population ratios in the country from before these latest statistics.

    Nice insult. Would be better if your understanding of math improved. Has nothing to do with their employment ratios and everything to do with basic math. If the workforce in State A is 1000 tech workers and you add 8% you now have 1080 workers. If your workforce in State B is 10,000 tech workers and you add 5% you now have 10,500 workers. So State A is "faster growing" percent-wise even though State B actually added almost 7X as many jobs. When you get to big numbers you can add a huge number of jobs without it looking impressive statistically.

    Any time you hear someone say something is "fastest growing" it almost always doesn't mean much if they didn't start with a big number. For example Apple has revenue of $182B for the last 12 months. EBay has revenue over the same period of around $17B. Red Hat has revenue around $1.8B. For Apple to grow by 10% next year they will have to create a new business the size of eBay in ONE year. For eBay to grow by 10% they have to create a company the size of Red Hat out of thin air. With no disrespect to Red Hat, it is a lot easier to create a company Red Hat's size than one eBay's size. Apple could literally grow 1/10th as fast and still match eBay's revenue growth just because of their size. So who is really growing faster? The small guy with the big percentage or the big guy with the bigger absolute number?

    Minnesota has some great companies headquartered there but relatively few of them are tech companies. They are like eBay in the above example while California is like Apple. MUCH harder to grow the bigger number by the same rate.

    1. Re:Growth percentages by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Would be better if your understanding of math improved. Has nothing to do with their employment ratios and everything to do with basic math.

      Minnesota has the 11th largest number of tech workers of all US states.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  45. New York City by sjbe · · Score: 1

    New Yorkers are just assholes. They complain about weather that's not even half as bad as ours. Sorry, next.

    Well, you must know that New York City is the center of the universe and "The Greatest City in the World". Just ask any New Yorker and they'll be happy to tell you how wonderful New York City is and how crappy wherever you live is.

    Though at least they aren't as big of weather weenies as the crowd in Southern California...

    1. Re:New York City by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      You know, I haven't asked one lately, but now that you mention it I've put it on my to-do list. It's there somewhere between Getting Cheeks Pinched By Grandma and Joining A Charity-Less Polar Plunge.

  46. Re:NC by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    To put it another way, the Republicans tend to push minorities away. It's their loss. Lots of Muslims are religious conservatives, who'd be more comfortable in the Republican party, but the Democrats are the ones who accept them.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  47. +1 by Gazzonyx · · Score: 1

    Seconded - I work in R&D at a tech company in Minneapolis and our department has a lot of pull and nearly final say in many things since we write the core software the company uses to sell services.

    --

    If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.

  48. Re: When you start low, it's easy to get high perc by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    It is when compared to the other big tech states, asswipe.

    You understand that 11 out of 50 means way above fucking average, right?

    Minnesota has more tech jobs than Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa and thirty-five other states.

    Alabama is not a fair comparison.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.