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Say what you will about the state of science and technology in the coal cracker region, we&#8217;re better at it than Allentown, Harrisburg and even Miami &#8212; at least according to a new list compiled by Wallethub.com, which bills itself as a one-stop website for information &#8220;to make better financial decisions and save money.&#8221;Wallethub released a new <a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-metro-areas-for-stem-professionals/9200/#methodology" target="_blank">report </a>Tuesday dubbed &#8220;2016&#8217;s Best &amp; Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals,&#8221; referring to the trendy acronym for Science Technology, Engineering and Math subjects and related jobs. Of the nation&#8217;s 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Wilkes-Barre Scranton landed 66th on the list.Not bad for an area so defined by anthracite coal mining that larger media outlets still routinely tack on adjectives like &#8220;rust belt&#8221; and &#8220;hardscrabble&#8221; when reporting on the region.&#8220;Our strengths are substantial,&#8221; Diamond City Partnerships Executive Director Larry Newman said upon hearing of the report. &#8220;The cluster of start-ups and tech-based business in downtown Wilkes-Bare is something rather unusual in a city our size and with our economic history.&#8221;Newman is one of many people pushing to make downtown Wilkes-Barre a bit of a tech hub, most recently with the development of &#8220;Innovation Squared&#8221; in the basement of the former Woolworth&#8217;s building, first announced Dec. 17.Begun with a $250,000 state grant and $50,000 from Penn State University, the center is intended to be a hub where tech companies, universities and other forces come together to spark new ideas and new business opportunities.Citing the synergy of two downtown institutions of higher education as well as several others nearby, and the tech opportunities that enticed eBay Enterprises Marketing to make Wilkes-Barre home to corporate headquarters, Newman said the area is in a good position, STEM-wise.&#8220;In all honesty, every single one of those metro areas is doing exactly the same thing we&#8217;re doing&#8221; to shift from an industrial to a tech economy, Newman said. &#8220;I believe we have something here we can build on if we hone in on our strengths.&#8221;Wallethub looked at 16 factors in each MSA, including things like workers in STEM jobs, STEM job growth, STEM job wages, quality of engineering universities, affordable housing and research and development spending.Perhaps not surprisingly, San Jose/Santa Clara MSA in California topped the list. Pittsburgh MSA ranked ninth, and Philadelphia 31st. Other Pennsylvania MSA&#8217;s were below Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.As to that mega-metro to the east, the New York City/Newark MSA ranked 71st, five places below Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.It can be tough in the rust-belt, hardscrabble world of Gotham.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mark Guydishmguydish@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</shirttailMeta></div>

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area ranks 66th among 100 metro areas for science and tech jobs