The 10 Least (And 10 Most) Innovative States In America In 2019

Unsurprisingly, Massachusetts, Washington, District of Columbia, Maryland, and Colorado are the five most innovative states in America in 2019, according to WalletHub. At the other end of the rock spectrum, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Iowa, and Tennessee are the five least innovative states in America.

Which U.S. states have contributed most to America’s innovative success and which have been lacking?

In 2019, America will spend an estimated $581 billion on research and development — more than any other country in the world. The site compared 24 indicators of innovation across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These indicators fell into 2 categories: Human capital and innovation environment.

The data set ranges from the share of professionals in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math), the density of tech companies to research and development spending per capita.

Here are the 10 most innovative states in America in 2019:

1. Massachusetts
Innovation index score: 72.31
Human capital rank: 2
Innovation environment rank: 1

2. Washington
Innovation index score: 68.03
Human capital rank: 4
Innovation environment rank: 3

3. District of Columbia
Innovation index score: 67.47
Human capital rank: 1
Innovation environment rank: 17

4. Maryland
Innovation index score: 64.06
Human capital rank: 5
Innovation environment rank: 7

5. Colorado
Innovation index score: 63.35
Human capital rank: 6
Innovation environment rank: 4

6. California
Innovation index score: 62.04
Human capital rank: 7
Innovation environment rank: 2

7. Virginia
Innovation index score: 61.87
Human capital rank: 3
Innovation environment rank: 15

8. Utah
Innovation index score: 57.84
Human capital rank: 8
Innovation environment rank: 5

9. Delaware
Innovation index score: 55.63
Human capital rank: 9
Innovation environment rank: 6

10. Oregon
Innovation index score: 53.82
Human capital rank: 12
Innovation environment rank: 8

Here are the 10 least innovative states in America in 2019:

1. Mississippi (51st)
Innovation index score: 19.13
Human capital rank: 51
Innovation environment rank: 50

2. Louisiana
Innovation index score: 21.89
Human capital rank: 50
Innovation environment rank: 49

3. West Virginia
Innovation index score: 27.06
Human capital rank: 47
Innovation environment rank: 51

4. Iowa
Innovation index score: 28.11
Human capital rank: 46
Innovation environment rank: 46

5. Tennessee
Innovation index score: 28.54
Human capital rank: 48
Innovation environment rank: 43

6. North Dakota
Innovation index score: 29.40
Human capital rank: 49
Innovation environment rank: 32

7. Hawaii
Innovation index score: 29.72
Human capital rank: 42
Innovation environment rank: 44

8. Kentucky
Innovation index score: 30.06
Human capital rank: 43
Innovation environment rank: 42

9. South Dakota
Innovation index score: 30.26
Human capital rank: 45
Innovation environment rank: 40

10. Nebraska
Innovation index score: 30.69
Human capital rank: 40
Innovation environment rank: 41

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