With the U.S. projected to spend nearly $600 billion on R&D in 2022, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Most & Least Innovative States, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
In order 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 22 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of STEM professionals to R&D spending per capita.
Most Innovative States
1. District of Columbia
2. Massachusetts
3. Washington
4. Maryland
5. Colorado
6. Virginia
7. California
8. Delaware
9. New Hampshire
10. Utah
Least Innovative States
42. Oklahoma
43. Kentucky
44. Iowa
45. South Dakota
46. Nebraska
47. Arkansas
48. West Virginia
49. North Dakota
50. Louisiana
51. Mississippi
Key Stats
- Washington has the highest share of STEM professionals, 10.65 percent, which is three times higher than Mississippi, the lowest at 3.55 percent.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of technology companies, 8.19 percent, which is 3.1 times higher than North Dakota, the lowest at 2.62 percent.
- New Mexico has the highest research and development (R&D) intensity, 7.02 percent, which is 17.6 times higher than Wyoming, the lowest at 0.40 percent.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit here.
