Useful Stats: Industrial R&D Performance by State, 1998-2001

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently released a report detailing a full range of statistics yielded by its 2001 Survey of Industrial Research and Development. Data show 31 states experienced a 10 percent or greater increase in their industrial R&D performance over a four-year period, 1998 to 2001. Twelve states experienced declines during the same period.

Using NSF data, SSTI has prepared a table ranking states by the percent change in their R&D performance for the 1998-2001 period. North Dakota leads all states in the measure, followed by Vermont and South Dakota. The R&D performed by North Dakota industry in 2001 ($347 million) was six-and-a-half times that of its 1998 output ($46 million). Vermont and South Dakota posted increases of 197 percent and 118 percent, respectively. EPSCoR states captured the seven of the top 10 three spots on the table, while the U.S. as a whole saw industry-performed R&D go up 17.3 percent.

Beginning with 2001, the NSF report notes, statistics for total and federally funded industrial R&D exclude data for Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, which explains the decline in several states. Data collected on federal support of R&D activities are shown in several tables in the report. Statistics on industrial funding of R&D undertaken by colleges and universities are covered in NSF's annual academic R&D survey and are excluded from the current report.

The NSF report is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf05305/

The SSTI table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/031405t.htm