Another week, another ranking that names Massachusetts as one of the most innovative U.S. states. Except this latest one puts Massachusetts at No. 3, behind Maryland and Washington, D.C. The horror!
Released on Wednesday, WalletHub's 2017 list of Most & Least Innovative States reached its conclusion based on 18 key metrics, including each state's share of STEM professionals, research and development spending per capita and average Internet speed. Find its complete methodology here.
So what contributed to Massachusetts getting No. 3? Its share of STEM professionals was 8.9 percent and R&D spending per capita was $4,167. Its venture capital funding per capita was $867.91, tying the state for No. 1 with California, the District of Columbia, New York and Utah. It also ranked No. 1 for average annual federal small-business funding per GDP and scientific knowledge output, which measures the number of peer-reviewed articles published per 1,000 doctorate holders.
Here are the 10 most innovative states:
- District of Columbia (Not a State)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- California
- Colorado
- Washington
- Virginia
- Utah
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
And the 10 least innovative:
- West Virginia
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Kentucky
- Oklahoma
- North Dakota
- Tennessee
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Maine
Here's an infographic WalletHub, a D.C.-based personal finance startup, put together highlighting some of its more interesting findings:
