Useful Stats: Federal R&D Per Capita by State, 1999-2003

[Publisher's note: In last week's Digest, we prepared a table showing what I thought was per capita federal R&D spending by state for 2003. Some readers who are more astute than I questioned the data, and in reviewing how I used the NSF data, I discovered that I had done so incorrectly. My apologies to all for this error. We have removed the incorrect table from our website. The below article uses correct data to look at per capita federal R&D for the last five years and replaces the information from last week's Digest.]



Using statistics from the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development, SSTI has prepared a table ranking all 50 states and the District of Columbia in per capita federal R&D obligations from 1999-2003.

 

According to the data, California, Maryland, Virginia, Texas and Massachusetts ranked the highest in total federal R&D obligations in 2003. However, when ranking the data per capita, the District of Columbia led the nation in federal R&D obligations at $5,261, followed by New Mexico ($1,616), Maryland ($1,435), Virginia ($861) and Massachusetts ($839).

 

Conversely, Arkansas ranked lowest in the nation in 2003 per capita federal R&D obligations at $53, with Wyoming ($82), South Dakota ($73), Kansas ($70), and Kentucky ($57) rounding off the final five.

 

Over the five-year period, Vermont experienced the largest increase in per capita federal R&D obligations, moving up 20 ranking positions from 36th in 1999 to 16th in 2003. Mississippi followed, advancing 19 ranking positions to 11th in 2003.

 

SSTI’s table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/051506t.htm