The U.S. ranks third on the Global Innovation Index, a designation certain states have contributed toward more than others, according to rankings released March 23 by personal finance site WalletHub.
To determine its ranking, WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C., across 22 metrics of innovation-friendliness, including share of STEM professionals, research and development spending per capita and tech company density.
Here are the states and Washington, D.C., ranked from most to least innovative:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Massachusetts
3. Washington
4. Maryland
5. Colorado
6. Virginia
7. California
8. Delaware
9. New Hampshire
10. Utah
11. Oregon
12. New Mexico
13. New Jersey
14. Michigan
15. Connecticut
16. Texas
17. Idaho
18. Florida
19. North Carolina
20. Arizona
21. Minnesota
22. New York
23. Pennsylvania
24. Rhode Island
25. Vermont
26. Georgia
27. Wyoming
28. Illinois
29. Wisconsin
30. Indiana
31. Ohio
32. South Carolina
33. Alaska
34. Missouri
35. Alabama
36. Montana
37. Nevada
38. Kansas
39. Maine
40. Hawaii
41. Tennessee
42. Oklahoma
43. Kentucky
44. Iowa
45. South Dakota
46. Nebraska
47. Arkansas
48. West Virginia
49. North Dakota
50. Louisiana
51. Mississippi