2024’s Most & Least Innovative States
WalletHub released its report on 2024’s Most & Least Innovative States, as well as expert commentary.
There’s a lot of innovation to go around in the states, as in the latest Global Innovation Index, the U.S. ranked third out of 132 countries. To give credit to the states that have contributed the most to America’s innovative success, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of STEM professionals to R&D spending per capita.
Most Innovative States Least Innovative States
1. District of Columbia 42. Nebraska
2. Massachusetts 43. Oklahoma
3. Washington 44. Kentucky
4. California 45. Iowa
5. Colorado 46. Kansas
6. Maryland 47. Arkansas
7. Virginia 48. North Dakota
8. Delaware 49. West Virginia
9. Utah 50. Louisiana
10. New Jersey 51. Mississippi
Key Statistics
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of STEM professionals, 3.3 times higher than in Mississippi, the lowest.
- Delaware has the highest share of technology companies, four times higher than North Dakota, the lowest.
- New Mexico has the highest research and development (R&D) intensity, which is 13.8 times higher than Louisiana and South Dakota, the lowest.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
