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With Software, Every State’s a Tech Hub

By September 26, 2017

Across the US, software empowers countless people and businesses, improving our lives each day in ways big and small. In Michigan, it’s reducing medical conflicts so Americans can live longer, healthier lives. In South Carolina, it’s improving transparency in police departments. In California, it’s helping design smarter and more sustainable infrastructure.

Stories like these are not anomalies. In fact, every state has examples of how they’ve overcome challenges through software innovation. Yet software is far more than a tool for solving problems – it’s also boosting new opportunities and economic growth.

Economic Impact of Software

Today, Software.org: the BSA Foundation released a new report that illustrates the scope of the software industry’s impact on the economy in 2016. The results reveal that the software industry is not only flourishing, but also outpacing the US economy in growth. Here are a few key findings:

  • Software contributed more than $1.14 trillion to the total US value-added GDP in 2016;
  • The software industry supports 10.5 million total US jobs, including 2.9 million direct jobs; and
  • Over the past two years, software’s direct economic impact grew by 18.7 percent, while the US economy grew 6.7 percent.

These software-driven economic opportunities aren’t limited to Silicon Valley, or even the IT sector. In 2016, software’s economic impact grew in all 50 states. Thirty-five states experienced more than 20 percent growth in their value-added GDP, with Idaho and North Carolina up more than 40 percent. In addition, software jobs in the United States grew 14.6 percent from 2014 to 2016 – everything from software developers and web designers to project coordinators. Kansas and Indiana lead the way, with software jobs in those states growing more than 30 percent each.

Software is no longer just the code that brings our electronics to life; it’s helping businesses grow faster, paychecks grow bigger, and every state grow stronger. The software industry holds opportunity for all, including those who aren’t in tech. I encourage you explore Software.org’s new report, and learn how software is transforming your state.

To read the full report, visit www.software.org/softwareimpact.

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As the founding executive director of Software.org: the BSA Foundation, Chris Hopfensperger leads the foundation’s efforts to help policymakers and the general public better understand the impact that software has on our lives, our economy, and our society. He also helps translate the foundation’s philanthropic and forward-looking agenda into efforts to address key issues facing the software industry.

Previously, Hopfensperger was a Senior Director, Global Policy at BSA | The Software Alliance. In that role he worked with BSA members to develop and advance the organization’s positions on technology law and regulation across markets. Hopfensperger conceived and helped produce a series of groundbreaking policy papers including the BSA Global Cloud Computing Scorecard, a tool for helping policymakers craft the right legal and regulatory environment for adopting the emerging technology. He advised members in such critical policy areas as cybersecurity, privacy, and encryption.

Hopfensperger has worked with industry representatives and government officials in numerous markets, and he has spoken on the intersection of policy and technology in several key capitals including Bangkok, Brussels, Beijing, Delhi, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Prior to joining BSA, Hopfensperger served as a technology and trade policy associate in the DC office of a large global law firm. While there, he advised companies and industry associations on pursuing legislation and representing their issues before Congress and the federal agencies and in the courts. Previously, Hopfensperger worked for more than a decade as a newspaper writer and editor, including at The Washington Post, The Sacramento Bee, and the St. Petersburg Times. Hopfensperger holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska.

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