It isn’t just the tourists flocking to the nation’s southeastern region. Several Florida cities are consistently pulling in defense and high-tech businesses, while in Alabama, Huntsville is following suit. Aerospace in Florida represents a $4.5 billion industry and employs some 23,000 workers. But the high-tech industry throughout the southeast keeps expanding, offering good job prospects in computers, semiconductor technologies, biotechnologies and research associated with universities. All this frames up a healthy job market for security-cleared professionals and healthy salaries. According to the ClearanceJobs 2010 Compensation Survey, 17 percent of security-cleared professionals working in Florida have a current polygraph and earned $81,034, just ahead of Alabama, another top southeastern defense state.

Tampa/St. Petersburg
The Tampa region serves as the on-ramp for Florida’s high-tech corridor. It runs from Tampa through Orlando and on to the state’s space coast, in all, passing through 23 counties. Military activity is strong here, as Tampa hosts MacDill Air Force Base, home to U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command. Together, the defense and high-tech industries converge to form a robust job market.

NASA serves as the region’s aerospace centerpiece. Orbiting around it are companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Eaton, Raytheon and Aerosonic, all bringing in major contracts and great positions. Their activities continue to drive the demand for security-cleared professionals in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, intelligence analysis, Web and software development and program management.

The Florida Research and Economic Database reports that physicists and computer and information systems managers are now the region’s highest-paid workers. They earn annual incomes of around $115,000, while engineering managers and aerospace engineers generally earn between $97,000 and $105,000.

Tampa’s aerospace industry is heavily linked to IT, which employs an estimated 57,000 people earning an average of $60,000 per year. This sector is seeing new growth, not only in computer technologies but also in the emerging fields of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology. The University of South Florida, which generates more than $500 million in contracts each year, houses the largest MEMS facility in the southeast, as well as the Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Research Center.

Other opportunities for security-cleared job seekers include the Tampa Port, the closest major U.S. port to the Panama Canal and one of the largest ports in the nation. It serves as a major ship-building and repair center, employing 22,000 workers and impacting 100,000 jobs throughout the region. TECO Energy and Tech Data Corp are headquartered here, while Verizon, Honeywell and AT&T Global are among the area’s largest employers.

As for quality of life, Tampa and St. Petersburg rank third in the nation for low business costs, with a lower-than-average cost of living and a median home price of $222,000. The region also has one of the largest communities of veterans in the nation, with hospitals and services to match the population.

Orlando
While it isn’t home to any major military installations, Orlando’s draw is the sky above it. Virtually all of the major defense firms do business here, connected for the most part, to the aerospace industry and the technology shift to modeling and simulation.

Major employers include the Kennedy Space Center, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, SAIC and Raytheon. But security-cleared workers also have a competitive edge in companies like EG&G Technical Services, which provides systems engineering and technical assistance in the development of weapons systems, military vehicles and aircraft, and security systems.

Recent salary reports from Florida’s Department of Labor indicate that those in engineering and scientific management positions are currently earning an average of $116,000, while computer and information systems managers earn just slightly less. Hot jobs in Orlando continue to center on technical skills. Software engineers, systems engineers and IT managers commonly earn around $85,000, while those in non-management positions with mid-level IT skills such as programmers, earn between $60,000 and $70,000.

Proximity to Disney World and other attractions have always made Orlando a great place to visit. But for those who want to live there, the housing market is extremely good. Prospective buyers can expect to find homes in the $170,000 range.

Huntsville
Here, it’s all about rocket science. The military and defense community in Huntsville includes the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal, the city’s top employer, with more than 25,000 workers, and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the second-largest employer with more than 7,000 workers.

Security-cleared job seekers won’t need to ask which major defense contractors do business here. Virtually all of the familiar names are present – Boeing, SAIC, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen Hamilton, Raytheon, BAE Systems and Honeywell.

The Huntsville Chamber of Commerce reports that the aerospace industry is made up of more than 90 companies employing more than 11,000 workers, with security-cleared personnel at a premium. Those interested in taking off for Alabama will find Huntsville rich in technology, research and development opportunities. Redstone Arsenal handles the majority of the Army’s foreign weapons sales, while more than 300 firms have business interests in the global and domestic markets for electronics and computer technologies. Huntsville is also home to Cummings Research Park, a conglomerate of 225 firms doing business in technology, research and development, in what is now the nation’s second-largest research and technology center.

When compared to the economic struggles faced by some cities, Huntsville has had a Tefl on coating. Just as in the previous year, Huntsville continues to receive accolades for job growth and opportunity. Money Magazine ranks Huntsville sixth in the nation for jobs, while Forbes ranks it among the top five cities for defense jobs. The city itself employs some 8,000 people throughout its various agencies, and actively advertises Huntsville as a place with more available jobs than people to fill them.

“Without a doubt, Huntsville is a defense industry city with plenty of opportunity,” says Evan Lesser, founder and director of ClearanceJobs. “While systems and aerospace engineers are the most common open positions in northern Alabama, there’s also a range of support roles including network and security administration, finance and budget gurus, and seasoned contract managers for new business development. Best of all, the majority of jobs in Huntsville only require a Secret clearance, opening the door for many more cleared workers.”

Huntsville’s population is still relatively small, with just over 395,000 residents enjoying a cost of living that’s lower than the nation’s average. As of October 2009, the median home price was $132,000, with the average income at $66,000. Huntsville is legendary for its friendliness, both socially and environmentally. If there is a drawback, it’s the airport. Huntsville still holds the rank of a small town and has a limited number of direct flights to major cities. But that may be by design. Given the job market and the economy, few residents are looking to go anywhere.