Reuters.com :: Massachusetts Tops Tech Index, Mississippi Last
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Massachusetts remains the state best positioned to take advantage of a high-technology economy, while Mississippi lags the rest of the nation, according to a new study released on Wednesday.
The Milken Institute, a Los Angeles-area think tank backed by former junk bond king Michael Milken, used 75 separate measurements to come up with its State Technology and Science Index, the second one produced by the institute.
Like the 2002 study before it, the new survey found a link between how well a state scores in the index and its per-capita income. Moreover, the researchers contend that the more a state invests in technology and develops technology businesses, the better off its citizens will be.
"If they don't become part of the knowledge economy, they risk some very large dislocations among their population,"
Ross DeVol, director of regional economics for the Milken Institute, told Reuters.
The same states occupied the top five and bottom five spots as in the last index, though in slightly different order. California rose to No. 2, while Colorado slipped to No 3.
Massachusetts was the only state to score higher than 80 out of 100 and was well ahead of California, while less than 1 point separated California from No. 4 Maryland.
At the bottom of the table, Arkansas traded places with Mississippi, now last in the nation with a score just over half of the national average.
Rhode Island made the biggest leap, coming 11th in the new survey from 21st in the 2002 study, while Texas suffered the biggest decline, falling to 23rd from 14th.
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