Most Innovative States? Connecticut Ranked Number 13

Innovation is not uniquely American, but we tend to take pride in ingenuity, as a state and nation.  The latest state-by-state analysis of where innovation is thriving in the U.S. shows considerable variances among the states. Connecticut ranked just outside the top ten, at number 13. 

The financial services website WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 key metrics, placed into two categories, Human Capital and Innovation Environment.  Overall, the data sets range from share of STEM professionals to R&D spending per capita.

Leading the list were Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, Colorado and California.  Among the other New England states, New Hampshire was number 10, Rhode Island was 18th, Vermont was 28th and Maine was 38.  Elsewhere in the region, New York ranked 25th, New Jersey was 12th.

In 2021, the U.S. is expected to spend nearly $600 billion on research and development — more than any other country in the world and more than 25% of the world’s total — helping the nation rank third on the Global Innovation Index. According to the results of the state ranking, knowledge and technology outputs are America’s particular strengths, WalletHub reported.

Connecticut was stronger in the Human Capital categories, ranking 11th, than in Innovation Environment, where the state ranked 16th.

Among the sub-categories, Connecticut’s highest ranking was number 4 in the nation in invention patents per capita.  The state also ranked in the top 10 in R&D spending per capita, at number 7, and R&D Intensity, at number 8.  Connecticut ranked 8th in AP exam participation, and also had the 8th best average internet speed. 

Among Connecticut’s lowest rankings were in tax-friendliness, where the state ranked 48th, and net migration, where Connecticut ranked 41st among the states.

Human Capital included subcategories such as share of STEM professionals, share of science & engineering graduates, 8th grade math & science performance, and projected STEM-job demand by 2028.  The Innovation Environment grouping included share of technology companies, research & development spending per capita, invention patents per capita, net migration, tax friendliness, venture-capital funding per capita and entrepreneurial activity.

Data used to create the ranking were collected from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation, National Center for Education Statistics, United States Patent and Trademark Office, and National Venture Capital Association, according to WalletHub.