Colorado is one of the nation’s most innovative states

As we look back on 2013, it has been fun for us to see how cities in Colorado have ranked highly for supporting entrepreneurs, tech startups, and the state’s energetic workforce.

But before we close out the year, we had to add one more ranking to the mix to showcase that it’s more than just our entrepreneurial spirit that makes us the place to be if you want to be part of a culture that supports the nation’s innovators.

To uncover the nation’s most innovative states, we decided to look at the innovation data reported in our Toward a More Competitive Colorado report, which details how states rank in terms of entrepreneurial activity, new businesses, venture capital investments, R&D spending, patents granted per capita, and high-tech employment per capita. As a simple way to measure innovation, this analysis assumes that these among the primary measures of innovation and that all measures are given equal weight.

For those of you who have been following recent announcements, it should come as no surprise that Colorado ranks number two, right behind California in terms of innovation.

Colorado’s highly educated workforce, broad concentration of high-tech workers, and strong research universities continue to attract established companies and support new business creation.

Here’s how Colorado stacks up in terms of innovation across the nation.

1. California
2. Colorado
3. Massachusetts
4. Maryland
5. Washington
6. Connecticut
7. Utah
8. New York
9. New Hampshire
10. New Jersey

With energetic minds constantly on the go in Colorado, we are proud to be one of the most innovative states that is pushing the nation’s business community forward.