Milwaukee a top-five city for tech growth, study says

Milwaukee, Wis. — Milwaukee is one of the top metro areas in the country to watch for technology growth, according to a study by a public policy professor at George Mason University.

Philip Auerswald led the study in 2004 and 2005 that aimed to create a method for locating up-and-coming areas for technology development.

The study relied heavily on patents as an indicator of tech growth, determining which patents were most important in part by looking at the number of citations they received. The study also brought in a host of other factors, such as tech businesses, awards of research grants, and the presence of arts and other cultural facilities — even the number of bowling alleys.

The top five cities named in the report were:

1. Columbus, Ohio
2. Santa Fe, N.M.
3. Palm Beach County, Fla.
4. Houston, Tex.
5. Milwaukee, Wis.

Forbes magazine featured Auerswald's work, and in discussing Milwaukee called out Rockwell Automation and Johnson Controls, tech stalwarts in the Milwaukee area.

Links

Download the research report (large PDF file)

Forbes magazine article on the report