Academic Research & Development Funding

A combined measure of industry investment in R&D at academic institutions and total academic R&D.

Why Is this Important? Research and development, which yields new product innovations and adds to the knowledge base of industry and the marketplace as a whole, is a key driver of economic growth. Data on R&D conducted by businesses in metros are not available, but data on academic R&D are. Metropolitan areas that have academic institutions performing large amounts of R&D, particularly R&D that is funded by industry, are more able to attract and grow technology companies. While it has become almost a cliché to talk about the importance of MIT and Stanford to the economies of Boston and Silicon Valley, it's true that these research universities played and continue to play critical roles in propelling the regional economies.

The Rankings: Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill leads the other metros by a wide range both in terms of total R&D and industry-funded R&D. Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University have formed the underpinnings for the growth of high-tech in the Research Triangle. The next-highest-ranking metro, Boston, scores significantly lower, but is still well above the national average. Washington, D.C. ranks high largely because of the presence of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the leading academic research performer in the nation. However, because so much of its R&D comes from non-industry sources, Washington, D.C. ranks seventh in industry-funded research. Strong state universities (UNC-Greensboro, SUNY-Buffalo) or private universities (Washington University in St. Louis) lead to a number of surprises among the top metro areas.

100th-76th Percentile

75th-51st Percentile

50th-26th Percentile

25th-1st Percentile

METRO AREAS BY RANK
Rank	Metro Area	Score
1	Raleigh-Durham	14.5
2	Boston	11.1
3	Washington	10.8
4	Austin	10.7
5	Salt Lake City	10.6
6	St. Louis	10.5
7	Columbus	10.3
8	Greensboro	10.3
9	Richmond	10.2
10	Atlanta	10.2
11	Rochester	10.1
12	Pittsburgh	10.1
13	San Diego	10.1
14	Buffalo	10.1
15	San Francisco	10.0
16	Houston	10.0
17	Miami	10.0
18	Sacramento	10.0
19	Cincinnati	10.0
20	Detroit	9.9
21	Philadelphia	9.9
22	Seattle	9.9
23	Hartford	9.9
24	Tampa	9.9
25	Minneapolis	9.9
26	New York	9.9
27	Denver	9.8
28	New Orleans	9.8
29	Oklahoma City	9.8
30	San Antonio	9.8
31	Nashville	9.8
32	Chicago	9.8
33	Los Angeles	9.7
34	Cleveland	9.7
35	Portland	9.7
36	Norfolk	9.7
37	Louisville	9.7
38	Phoenix	9.6
39	Dallas	9.6
40	Dayton	9.6
41	Milwaukee	9.6
42	West Palm Beach	9.5
43	Orlando	9.5
44	Memphis	9.5
45	Las Vegas	9.5
46	Kansas City	9.5
47	Grand Rapids	9.5
48	Charlotte	9.5
49	Indianapolis	9.4
50	Jacksonville	9.4
	U.S. Average	9.8
	Top 50 Metro Average	10.0

ALPHABETICALLY
Metro Area	Rank	Score
Atlanta	10	10.2
Austin	4	10.7
Boston	2	11.1
Buffalo	14	10.1
Charlotte	48	9.5
Chicago	32	9.8
Cincinnati	19	10.0
Cleveland	34	9.7
Columbus	7	10.3
Dallas	39	9.6
Dayton	40	9.6
Denver	27	9.8
Detroit	20	9.9
Grand Rapids	47	9.5
Greensboro	8	10.3
Hartford	23	9.9
Houston	16	10.0
Indianapolis	49	9.4
Jacksonville	50	9.4
Kansas City	46	9.5
Las Vegas	45	9.5
Los Angeles	33	9.7
Louisville	37	9.7
Memphis	44	9.5
Miami	17	10.0
Milwaukee	41	9.6
Minneapolis	25	9.9
Nashville	31	9.8
New Orleans	28	9.8
New York	26	9.9
Norfolk	36	9.7
Oklahoma City	29	9.8
Orlando	43	9.5
Philadelphia	21	9.9
Phoenix	38	9.6
Pittsburgh	12	10.1
Portland	35	9.7
Raleigh-Durham	1	14.5
Richmond	9	10.2
Rochester	11	10.1
Sacramento	18	10.0
Salt Lake City	5	10.6
San Antonio	30	9.8
San Diego	13	10.1
San Francisco	15	10.0
Seattle	22	9.9
St. Louis	6	10.5
Tampa	24	9.9
Washington	3	10.8
West Palm Beach	42	9.5

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The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Technology, Innovation, and New Economy Project
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