Innovation is a principal driver of U.S. economic growth. In 2016, the U.S. spent an estimated $514 billion on research and development — more than any other country in the world — helping the nation rank No. 4 on the Global Innovation Index.

According to the results of the ranking, knowledge and technology outputs are America’s particular strengths.

But certain states are due more credit than others for America’s dominance in the tech era. Those states continue to foster innovation through investments in education, research and business creation, especially in highly specialized industries.

In order therefore to recognize the nation’s biggest contributors, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 18 key indicators of innovation-friendliness. The data set ranges from share of STEM professionals to R&D spending per capita to tech-company density.

California ranked 4th highest and was number 1 for venture-capital funding per capita.
It was in the top 10 in these comparisons:
7th – Share of STEM Professionals
8th – Projected STEM-Job Demand by 2020
4th – Share of Science & Engineering Graduates Aged 25+
6th – Share of Technology Companies
4th – R&D Spending per Capita

Story Date: May 10, 2017