Areas in dark red have a tech job concentration of more than 10 percent. Click on map for interactive version

It’s always interesting to compare various tech markets, and a new interactive map created by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and Engine shows in great detail the areas of the country where tech jobs are hot.

I’m a bit of a map junky, so I’ve spent far too much time today digging into the map this morning.

For example, did you know that Benton County in Washington state shows a 7.9 percent concentration of tech jobs? More interestingly, Snohomish County (home to Boeing’s Everett plant and several biotechnology companies) leads the state with a 25 percent concentration, and a whopping tech job growth rate of 14 percent. King County isn’t too shabby either, coming in at a 17 percent concentration and 4.2 percent growth rate.

Top states for tech job concentration

Overall, Washington state was the top state for tech jobs, with 5.8 percent tech job growth and an 11 percent concentration of tech jobs.

This is a handy resource.

While areas such as Seattle, San Francisco and Austin remain hot, the map may surprise you a bit. For example, rust belt cities such as Dayton, Ohio and Troy, Michigan also show high concentrations, with technology employment exceeding 10 percent in 2011.

“Our research aims to think critically about how technology, the internet, and entrepreneurship shape our economy,” a blog post about the map says. “The first step is to dispel a few misconceptions about the location of tech jobs.”

Here are more findings from the report:

  • A minimum of 61% of counties had at least some high-tech jobs in 2011.
  • In 2009, more than 72% of counties had at least one new business establishment in the high-tech sector.
  • High-tech startups have held relatively steady during the economic downturn, even while new business establishments across the entire private sector have declined.
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