Study ranks Arizona as one of the most innovative states in US
Mar 25, 2018, 10:32 AM | Updated: 10:33 am
PHOENIX — The state of Arizona has been ranked as one of the most innovative states in the U.S., according to a new study.
Arizona ranked No. 16 overall out of 51 states, including the District of Columbia, with a rank of 18 for “human capital” and 12 for “innovation environment.”
The state didn’t, however, rank in the top five of any of the additional metrics used to conduct the study.
According to the study, Massachusetts is the most innovative state in the U.S., with Maryland, Washington, the District of Columbia and California rounding out the top-five.
Louisiana and Mississippi were found to be the least innovative, with the two finishing No. 50 and No. 51, respectively.
The WalletHub study used two key dimensions in order to find out each state’s Innovation Index rating: “Human Capital” rank and “Innovation Environment” rank.
In order to come up with the rankings for the two dimensions, the study used 22 additional metrics, such as the share of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professionals, the projected demand for STEM jobs by 2020, eighth-grade math and science performance, and the highest share of science and engineering graduates aged 25 or older, among others.