Report: Minnesota a leading state in med-tech industry

A report from a national trade group confirms Minnesota's role as one of the leading states in the medical technology industry.

Researchers estimated that as of 2007, Minnesota had some 27,000 people employed in the medical technology industry who received about $1.7 billion in pay. Their average earnings of nearly $64,000 was 50 percent more than the state average. The study also found the medical technology suppliers and other industry-related companies account for an additional 83,000 jobs.

Minnesota had more medical technology employees than all but one state; California had about 84,000.

Minnesota led the nation in the percentage of workers employed in the sector. Just over over one percent of private-sector Minnesota workers were employed by medical technology companies.

Dale Wahlstrom, the CEO of the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, welcomed the report's affirmation of the industry's stature in Minnesota.

"We are a globally-recognized center for medical technology, specifically medical device technology," Wahlstrom said. "I wasn't surprised to hear that."

The report was based on 2007 U.S. Census data and was commissioned by the Advanced Medical Technology Association.