The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Technological Change: The Case of High-Tech States in the U.S.

Abstract

This paper examines the technological level of 74 counties in technologically advanced states in the United States at the end of the 1990s. The conceptual framework is that selected socioeconomic dimensions influence the level of technological development for advanced communities; i.e., technology does not develop by itself but in concert with pre-disposing characteristics of the environment. The influence of socioeconomic factors was studied through correlation and regression analysis. The findings reveal that, on a national basis, factors that are important across several technology sectors are college education, ethnicity, income, and federal grant funds. There are distinctive influences for high-tech counties in the “rust belt” versus the “sunbelt.” Taken together, the results highlight the association of socioeconomic factors with the per capita magnitude of the technology sectors. The findings are discussed relative to research literature and data collected, and policy and ethical implications are presented.