yeah, I had similar thoughts. Using absolute numbers makes sense of some cities, using the expansion over a tech base for others, and expansion over total base

yeah, I had similar thoughts. Using absolute numbers makes sense of some cities, using the expansion over a tech base for others, and expansion over total base for yet others. From the NYtimes piece it looks like they use absolute numbers but the study itself seems to run a mix of analyses including absolute, % change etc. Their definition of an innovation job might have something to do with it, too.