MOVING ON UP
Texas rises through the ranks of most innovative states, says new report
The Lone Star State has again taken a step up on an annual report that ranks the most and least innovative states in the country — this time cracking the top 15.
Texas ranked No. 15 in personal finance site WalletHub's 2023’s Most and Least Innovative States ranking. It's a steady improvement for the state, which ranked No. 16 in 2022 and No. 17 in 2021.
The report analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia and how each performed across 22 key metrics, including population of STEM professionals, venture capital investment activity, number of technology companies, patents per capita, and more. The data was pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation, National Center for Education Statistics, United States Patent and Trademark Office, and other records.
Here's how Texas performed at a glance:
- No. 18 – for share of STEM professionals
- No. 16 – for projected STEM job demand by 2030
- No. 25 – for eighth grade math and science performance
- No. 21 – for share of science and engineering graduates aged 25 or older
- No. 13 – for share of technology companies
- No. 31 – for R&D spending per capita
- No. 18 – venture capital funding per capita
For the 11th year, Texas won Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup, the governor's office announced earlier this year. The award, which Texas has won 19 times since its inception in 1978, recognizes the nation’s top-performing state for job-creating business relocations and expansions.
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