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Useful Stats: Performance of total R&D by state (2002-2016)

June 27, 2019

This month, SSTI research has examined changes in total R&D and total R&D intensity for each state over a 15-year period from 2002 to 2016. In this final installment of the series, this article looks at how the performance of R&D in the states changed over time. In half of the states (25 states), the share of total R&D performed by colleges and universities increased more than any performer (e.g., industry, federal government) from 2002 to 2016. Meanwhile, 20 states saw industry’s share of total R&D performance increase more than any other performer. The share of total R&D performed by industry increased the most in Wyoming (32.7 percentage point increase), followed by Iowa (19.6 percentage point increase) and Missouri (18.5 percentage point increase).

The chart below highlights changes in total R&D performance and total R&D intensity by state, with the size of each dot representing total R&D performance (in dollars) and the color of each dot representing which type of performer increased its overall share by the most percentage points.

 

 

 

As can be seen in the chart above, most of the states where higher education grew its performance share were also states where overall R&D intensity increased at a rate lower than the national average. States where industry grew its performance share by the most tended to have changes in R&D intensity that were above the national average between 2002 and 2016. Additionally, industry grew its share of overall performance in three of the four states (Oregon, California, and Massachusetts) with above average R&D intensity and change in R&D intensity over the 15-year period.

The map below shows the percentage point change in performance share from 2002 to 2016 for each state and each of the largest three performers (federal, industry, and higher education).

 

 

 

The share of total R&D performed by industry increased the most in Wyoming (32.7 percentage point increase), followed by Iowa (19.6 percentage point increase) and Missouri (18.5 percentage point increase). On the other hand, industry share of total R&D performance declined by the most in Mississippi, Virginia and Tennessee.

R&D performed by the federal government (intramural research and FFRDC’s) increased the most as a share of total R&D in Maryland (20.8 percentage point increase), Alabama (6.0 percentage point increase), and Virginia (5.0 percentage point increase). Federal share of total R&D performance declined by the most in South Dakota, Wyoming, and West Virginia.

The share of total R&D performed by colleges and universities increased the most in West Virginia (26.3 percentage point increase), Hawaii (19.6 percentage point increase), and Rhode Island (18.3 percentage point increase). Maryland, Utah and Missouri experienced the largest declines in higher education’s share of total R&D performance during the period.

The table below shows overall R&D spending, R&D intensity, and total R&D performance for each state in 2016, the most recent year available.

 

 

 

 

r&d, useful statsFile 062719.xlsx