Not all states are investing equally in innovation opportunities, particularly when it comes to STEM and research development, according to a March 20 analysis from WalletHub.
The financial services website compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 metrics related to human capital (including shares of STEM professionals, science and engineering graduates, and AP exam participants), and innovation environment (including research and development spending per capita, invention patents per capita, jobs in new companies and number of startups accelerated per total number of startups). Data was collected from sources including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Patent and Trademark Office, and National Venture Capital Association. Read more about the methodology here.
These states are the most and least innovative, according to WalletHub's scoring system:
Most innovative:
1. District of Columbia
2. Massachusetts
3. Washington
4. California
5. Colorado
6. Maryland
7. Virginia
8. Delaware
9. Utah
10. New Jersey
Least innovative:
1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. West Virginia
4. North Dakota
5. Arkansas
6. Kansas
7. Iowa
8. Kentucky
9. Oklahoma
10. Nebraska