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2002 State Index Home
 
Introduction
 
Overview & Methodology
 
Overall Rankings
 
Summary of Results
 
THE INDICATORS
 
PART I: KNOWLEDGE JOBS
 
Information Technology Jobs

Managerial, Professional, and Technical Jobs

Workforce Education

Education Level of the Manufacturing Workforce
 
PART II: GLOBALIZATION
 
Export Focus of Manufacturing

Foreign Direct Investment
 
PART III: ECONOMIC DYNAMISM
 
"Gazelle" Jobs

Job Churning

IPOs
 
PART IV: THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
 
Online Population

Commercial Internet Domain Names

Technology in Schools

Digital Government

Online Agriculture

Online Manufacturers

Broadband Telecommunications
 
PART V: INNOVATION CAPACITY
 
High-Tech Jobs

Scientists and Engineers

Patents

Industry Investment in R&D

Venture Capital
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
 
Data Sources
 
Weighting Methodology
 
Endnotes
 
The Author

BROWSE BY STATE: Choose State ---------- Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

PART 2: GLOBALIZATION

"Workers employed in export oriented firms earn 10 percent more than workers in similar firms that export less."

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Trade has become an integral part of the U.S. and world economies. The combined total of U.S. exports and imports has increased from less than 5.5 percent of GDP in 1950, to 11 percent in 1970, to 24 percent in 2000. Moreover, the United States is increasingly specializing in more complex, higher value-added goods and services, which is benefiting many American workers. Workers employed in export-oriented firms earn 10 percent more than workers in similar firms that export less, or don't export at all. 15 As a result, states whose companies are not global traders risk being left behind. 16

THE RANKINGS: The leading states are those that have high value-added, technologically advanced manufacturing sectors, such as Delaware and New Jersey (chemicals and pharmaceuticals), Washington (aviation), and California, Colorado, New York, and Texas (electronics and instruments). But even after holding constant the industry sectors' propensity to export, the manufacturing companies in these states export more. Alaska is the anomaly, but its high ranking is no doubt due to its high level of export of processed natural resources and its proximity to Asia. States with low rankings tend to have more lower value-added industries that compete directly with lower-wage nations, making it more difficult to export (e.g. Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi) or with mostly smaller firms who tend to export less than larger firms (such as Maine and Rhode Island).

STATES BY RANK Rank State Score 1 Delaware $122,362 2 Alaska $115,098 3 Washington $82,911 4 New York $71,676 5 New Jersey $68,225 6 Colorado $66,182 7 Texas $65,281 8 California $65,021 9 Vermont $56,925 10 Florida $56,588 11 Michigan $53,783 12 Nevada $53,540 13 Minnesota $47,600 14 Connecticut $46,347 15 Oregon $44,549 16 Arizona $40,694 17 Idaho $39,778 18 Massachusetts $38,209 19 Illinois $37,726 20 Hawaii $34,699 21 Montana $33,385 22 Pennsylvania $33,165 23 Nebraska $33,079 24 North Dakota $31,317 25 Virginia $31,182 26 Kentucky $31,120 27 Ohio $29,524 28 Maryland $29,243 29 Georgia $26,811 30 Tennessee $26,083 31 Kansas $24,100 32 South Carolina $23,974 33 North Carolina $23,904 34 Indiana $22,406 35 New Hampshire $22,314 36 Wisconsin $21,403 37 Utah $21,286 38 Missouri $21,252 39 West Virginia $20,361 40 Louisiana $20,058 41 Oklahoma $19,927 42 Alabama $19,717 43 Maine $19,657 44 Rhode Island $18,154 45 Iowa $14,535 46 Wyoming $14,074 47 New Mexico $12,980 48 Arkansas $11,110 49 Mississippi $9,650 50 South Dakota $8,601 U.S. Average $42,913

ALPHABETICALLY Rank State Score 42 Alabama $19,717 2 Alaska $115,098 16 Arizona $40,694 48 Arkansas $11,110 8 California $65,021 6 Colorado $66,182 14 Connecticut $46,347 1 Delaware $122,362 10 Florida $56,588 29 Georgia $26,811 20 Hawaii $34,699 17 Idaho $39,778 19 Illinois $37,726 34 Indiana $22,406 45 Iowa $14,535 31 Kansas $24,100 26 Kentucky $31,120 40 Louisiana $20,058 43 Maine $19,657 28 Maryland $29,243 18 Massachusetts $38,209 11 Michigan $53,783 13 Minnesota $47,600 49 Mississippi $9,650 38 Missouri $21,252 21 Montana $33,385 23 Nebraska $33,079 12 Nevada $53,540 35 New Hampshire $22,314 5 New Jersey $68,225 47 New Mexico $12,980 4 New York $71,676 33 North Carolina $23,904 24 North Dakota $31,317 27 Ohio $29,524 41 Oklahoma $19,927 15 Oregon $44,549 22 Pennsylvania $33,165 44 Rhode Island $18,154 32 South Carolina $23,974 50 South Dakota $8,601 30 Tennessee $26,083 7 Texas $65,281 37 Utah $21,286 9 Vermont $56,925 25 Virginia $31,182 3 Washington $82,911 39 West Virginia $20,361 36 Wisconsin $21,403 46 Wyoming $14,074

Source: U.S. Census, 2000 data.

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2002 State Index Home | Introduction | Overview &
Methodology | The Rankings | Summary of Results
Development Strategies | Data Sources
Weighting Methodology | Endnotes | The Author

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