CT Is Nation's 14th Most Innovative State, Analysis Shows

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Innovation isn’t quite synonymous with Connecticut, but the state once known for Yankee Ingenuity is working on it.  A recent state-by-state analysis reflects it is an uphill battle, with many competitors upping their game. Connecticut has earned a spot among the top 10 states for “human capital” and ranked number 14 overall among the nation’s Most Innovative States.  Topping the list was Massachusetts, for the second consecutive year, followed by Washington State, Washington D.C., Maryland, Colorado, California, Virginia, Utah, Delaware and Oregon.  The list was compiled by the financial website WalletHub.

A year ago, Connecticut was ranked one slot higher at 13th overall, with a Human Capital Ranking that was 8th and an Innovation Environment Ranking an identical 22nd.  Two years ago, Connecticut ranked number nine in the nation.  That year, Massachusetts was ranked third.

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The overall ranking was based on two categories – Human Capital and Innovation Environment – which consisted of 24 metrics.  In Human Capital, the metrics included share of STEM professionals, 8th grade math and science performance, projected STEM-job demand by 2020, share of since & engineering graduates, and share of STEM professionals.  The Innovation Environment category included share of technology companies, research & development spending, invention patents per capita, jobs in new companies, and net migration.  In this category, Connecticut ranked 22nd.

Data used to create this ranking were collected from U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation, National Center for Education Statistics, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, Economic Innovation Group, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Gust.com, Tax Foundation, Consumer Technology Association, Microbrand Media, U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, Education Commission of the States and National Venture Capital Association.