Technology and society: socioeconomic influences on technological sectors for United States counties

This paper analyzes socioeconomic influences on technological levels for 164 counties in the United States. The conceptual framework is that social and economic dimensions impact the sizes of technology sectors in counties, i.e. technology does not develop by itself but in concert with pre-disposing characteristics of the environment. Based on correlation and regression analyses, the findings reveal that nationally in the US, factors that are important correlates of technology sectors are professional/scientific/technical services workforce, other services workforce, household income, federal grant funds, college education, and ethnicity. The study reveals a large range in technology levels across the nation. There are distinctive influences for counties in “sunbelt” versus “traditional” subsamples, and in “high-tech” versus “low-tech” subsamples. The findings are discussed in terms of relevant academic and policy literature. The paper implies that certain “indirect” steps can be taken by national, state, and local governments to reduce the digital divide.