This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
According to a list published by Livability.com, Longmont ranks second in the top ten best cities for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) workers in 2018.
"Livability explores what makes small-to-medium sized cities great places to live. Through proprietary research studies, engaging articles and original photography and video, we examine topics related to community amenities, education, sustainability, transportation, housing and the economy. We then leverage that expertise to develop city rankings for a range of topics including small towns, college towns and our annual Top 100 Best Places to Live," is stated on the Livability.com website.
According to a press release sent out by Livability, "Livability editors looked at more than 2,000 cities across the country to determine the 10 Best Cities for STEM Workers this year. Our ranking took into account important criteria like the share of total jobs falling into the STEM category, median income for jobs in the STEM category and the median income for STEM jobs in relation to the overall median income for the city."
The article by Livability states that, "More than 12 percent of the jobs in Longmont are STEM-related, with an average median salary of $95,578 — nearly 2.2 times greater than the average median income in Longmont."
When asked where this information was found, Winona Dimeo-Ediger, Livability's Managing Editor says, "Our data comes from a combination of public and private sources; most of the data used for this ranking came from the Census Bureau."
One of the factors that weighed in on Longmont ranking second was the St. Vrain Valley School District because it "partners with more than 60 area companies to provide students with project-based learning in STEM fields, and a small paycheck as well," states the Livability article.
“In 25 years, 75 percent of new jobs will be STEM-related,” St. Vrain Assistant Superintendent of Priority Programs, Regina Renaldi says. “We’re helping kids prepare for the future.”
Livability also attributes the success of so many STEM related jobs to Longmont because of our Nextlight High Speed Internet, the TinkerMill and companies such as Akonia Holographics and Redstone Aerospace, whom Livability says "are taking advantage of a creative environment that has resulted in Longmont producing the second-highest number of patents per capita in Colorado."
Other cities on the list include: Miami Beach, FL, Richardson, TX, Kirkland, WA, Franklin, TN, Gaithersburg, MD, Milpiatas, CA, Alberquerque, NM, Davis, CA and Huntsville, AL.
