Tech is one of the world’s biggest industries, with many of the dominant Fortune 500 tech companies based in the United States. Four tech companies alone are worth trillions of dollars, and though the industry is full of rapid changes, it’s not going anywhere. The Pulse team examined locations around the country where key tech industries are booming and mapped their findings. The map shows that while Silicon Valley is the traditional home of the tech industry, there are growing tech centers around the country.

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One of the sectors spreading geographically is computing infrastructure and data services. Somerset, New Jersey, is the hub of this sector, with a significant employment increase between 2023 and 2024. Dense fiber networks and proximity to financial clients in New York City make New Jersey an ideal location for this sector. However, Ada County, Idaho, and a few counties in Maryland also support this sector.

As for custom computer programming services, the biggest hub is in Norfolk City, Virginia. There are several major software firms there, supported by the Norfolk Innovation Corridor, a “technology zone” that includes businesses, public works, hospitals, and universities. Tech startups here earn major tax incentives and other benefits. Georgia and Maine have growing centers of custom programming services too.

Software publishing is booming in the state of Texas. In Bexar, Texas, employment in this sector had doubled. San Antonio and Austin are also full of software publishing companies. Pittsburgh emerges as a hub for software publishing too, thanks to the University of Pittsburgh.

Web search portals and information services have a home in the New York City metropolitan area, particularly in Union and Essex counties. Multnomah County, Oregon, home of Portland, also has a healthy number of companies in this sector, along with many other types of creative and digital media companies.

Semiconductors are commonly manufactured in Williamson County, Texas, north of Austin. Samsung made a $17 billion investment in a semiconductor facility in Taylor, Texas, making the area a leader in the industry. NVIDIA, located in Santa Clara County, California, is another leader in this industry.

From Ohio to Maine, it’s clear that California doesn’t have the tech industry on lock. Many other cities have responded to the booming economy supported by thriving tech companies. Many cities have been totally revolutionized thanks to a major tech company opening its headquarters there. Tech businesses bring skilled workers with money to spend on many other local industries, so many communities welcome these companies with open arms.

Students and entrepreneurs can use data and maps like this to pinpoint where they may want to relocate for their job search or startup. Overall, this map offers a fascinating way to look at the state of the American tech industry by shifting our focus away from Silicon Valley and considering how tech could impact other states and cities in the future.

Before we used banks, barcodes, or Bitcoin, humans still developed sophisticated point-of-sale systems to exchange something of value with a stranger. We’ve reinvented solutions time and again over human history, and the team at Qualtrics created a timeline that shows us the story of this history is a lot more dramatic than your tap-to-pay transaction suggests.

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Trading between humans began with the exchange of goods rather than coins or paper. Livestock, pelts, and food were the stuff of life, the most valuable items we could possess. There was no central authority to set prices and values for these things, so trades were negotiated on a case-by-case basis. The first move toward abstraction came with the exchange of goods for cowry shells and tally sticks. An interesting fact: cowry shells have been found across continents, even among civilizations that never met each other.

A major currency turning point in the ancient world was Mesopotamia’s clay tokens, used to exchange for grain and to pay off debts. Ancient Egyptians expanded on this with labor tokens that existed in a tiered system as an early form of payroll. The Code of Hammurabi, from 1750 BC, established complex rules governing credit, debt, and contracts. Economic regulation is a lot older than many people may assume.

When the Silk Road opened in 138 BC, goods, currencies, and ideas traveled thousands of miles. Muslim merchants created sakk, a document that ordered banks to pay a third party, so they didn’t have to travel with heavy coins. The sakk is the direct ancestor of a check. The Song Dynasty of China created a system of paper receipts called jiaozi, which became the world’s first paper currency.

During the Industrial Revolution, James Ritty created the mechanical cash register to help secure coins and bills from untrustworthy cashiers pocketing spare change. He called the machine, “the Incorruptible Cashier.” The Diners Club card, introduced in 1950 by American Express, became the first plastic credit card. A pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum became the first product with a barcode scanned at the checkout in 1974.

The digital age brought about the most dramatic and rapid development. In 2009, Square turned smartphones into point-of-sale registers. This dramatically lowered barriers to entry for small businesses everywhere that could process QR codes and contactless payment methods to sell goods and services. The newest advances are in the realm of biometrics. Michigan businesses started using payments triggered by eye recognition in 2023.

From clay tokens to retinal scans, we’ve come a long way in economic innovation. These advances and technologies tell the story of humans creating solutions to the problem of developing enough trust to trade with strangers. The timeline also shows us how commerce is so tightly woven into human history and development. Some may say it’s the keystone, the foundation of human civilization. This piece is an entertaining and informative visual tale of the development of money, sales, and trade.

A new study by LLC Attorney examines the booming side-gig economy across the United States, identifying which states have seen the largest increases in freelance work and why. The piece introduces us to an expanding “Gig Economy” driven by apps and services like Uber, DoorDash, and Fiverr. These apps have made on-demand work accessible on a wide scale. While the side-gig economy is growing overall, the team shows that growth isn’t evenly distributed. Some states have far more gig workers than others.

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To get the data needed to create the map, the team analyzed year-over-year changes in the average monthly number of people holding a second side gig job and the growth of non-employer business establishments. Drawing on data from IPUMS CPS and the U.S. Census Bureau, the team created a color-coded map.

The top five states show us an interesting geographic picture. Oregon claimed the number one spot with a 24.2% rise in the average monthly number of people working a second gig job. Oregon has the highest number of gig workers in general. Nevada had one of the largest increases, at 25.7%, thanks to its tourism-heavy economy, which naturally generates demand for ride-sharing, Airbnb, and delivery services. Alaska takes third place, despite its smaller population. It had a 27.7% increase, while North Dakota follows in fourth with a 23.8% rise. Hawaii rounds up the top five with a huge 34.3% jump in residents working two jobs between 2022 and 2023.

These specific states lead the way because of two recurring issues. High costs of living, with rising costs of food, healthcare, and housing outpacing wage growth in these regions, lead more people to take on second jobs out of necessity. Hawaii has steep grocery and housing costs; Oregon and Nevada face similar cost-of-living issues.

These top-ranking states might appear to be thriving if we look at the Gig Economy numbers, but they have less diverse job markets, often relying on tourism. These seasonal and unpredictable jobs lead workers to seek ways to diversify their income.

The top ten states with the biggest gig economies are:

• Oregon
• Nevada
• Alaska
• North Dakota
• Hawaii
• South Carolina
• Delaware
• Rhode Island
• Virginia
• Massachusetts

Gig work can be convenient and a big asset to small business owners, but it also has downsides. Gig roles rarely include health insurance or benefits, income tends to be inconsistent, and the work is for people who don’t mind flying solo without coworker interaction. It does support independence and a flexible work schedule for people who value those qualities.

This map helps us understand the lasting changes the gig economy has had on the American economy. Side gig trends reflect how workers respond to economic changes, whether they face setbacks or opportunities. Side gigs create a fairly straightforward, low-effort way to make money, but they also drive steeper competition for jobs. Visualizing data can help us understand what drives economies and helps gig workers decide what opportunities will help them grow.