Connecticut is among the top states in the country for research and development, according to a recent report from Smilehub.org. Smilehub is a nonprofit tech company that uses data to create ratings.
According to the report, Smilehub rated all states across 17 metrics including researches per capita, research charities per capita and development spending per capita.
“While new innovations develop across the United States, some states create better environments for professional and aspiring researchers than others,” wrote Luke Powers, the study’s author.
The metrics resulted in Connecticut earning a score of 53.9, good for seventh place in between Virginia (55.77) and Oregon (53.06).
A closer look at the data shows Connecticut ranked 13th in research and innovation, eighth in research funding and support and 11th in research education. Massachusetts, which was the top-rated state with 85.14 points, earned top marks across all three categories. California (71.52), Maryland (66.53), Colorado (63.49) and Washington (63.19) rounded out the top 5.
On the other end of the scale, Arkansas (16.78), West Virginia (16.62), Louisiana (15.49), Kentucky (15.15) and Mississippi (11.61) were the bottom five, according to Smilehub’s metrics.
Spending on research and development is a nearly trillion-dollar industry, according to the report. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics listed total research and development spending in the country at $603.8 billion in 2018 increasing to $939.6 billion in 2023.