Sioux Falls Makes Gains as One of the ‘Best Small Cities’ for High-Tech

Sioux Falls is often thought of as a major medical player in the Upper Midwest and beyond, thanks to our two major hometown healthcare systems - Avera and Sanford.

But now, South Dakota's largest city is on an elite list of places from around the country in a completely different industry.

24/7 Wall St., using data from the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities 2021, has Sioux Falls as one of the top 25 'Best Small Cities for High-Tech'.

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The city is 23rd overall, making a big leap from 56th just three years ago.

So what is 'high-tech' exactly?

The Workforce Information Council defines it as an industry that employs a high percentage of workers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations.

That could be any one of the 30 different categories as outlined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including things like pharmaceuticals, engine and power transmission equipment, semiconductors, aerospace parts, telecommunications, data processing services, oil and gas extraction, and even forestry.

BEST SMALL CITIES FOR HIGH-TECH

1. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
2. Lawton, Oklahoma
3. Springfield, Illinois
4. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
5. San Rafael, California
6. Wenatchee, Washington
7. Greenville, North Carolina
8. Corvallis, Oregon
9. Grants Pass, Oregon
10. Lawrence, Kansas

Sioux Falls got a huge technology boost in 2020 when the city was the first in the nation to roll out 5G technology on a large scale.