0 0

25 25

50 50

75 75

100 100

125 125

150 150

175 175

Number of states

Directorate for

Social, Behavioral

and Economic

Sciences

National Science Foundation

by John E.

Jankowski, Jr.

Vol. 1995, No. 14, November 13, 1995

Electronic

Dissemination

SRS data are available through

the World Wide Web (http://

www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm)

and also through STIS, NSF’s

online Science and Technology

Information System, described

in NSF flyer 95-64, “Getting NSF

Information and Publications.”

For a paper copy of the flyer,

call 703-306-1130. For an electronic copy of the STIS User's

Guide, send an e-mail with the

phrase "get NSF9410.TXT" to

stisserv@nsf.gov. For NSF’s

Telephonic Device for the Deaf,

dial 703-306-0090.

Science Resources Studies Division

DATA BRIEF

The 20 states with

the largest shares of

total U.S. R&D

expenditures

collectively account

for 87 percent of the

R&D conducted

nationwide; the 20

states with the

smallest shares, for

just 4 percent of

total.

R

ecently compiled statistics available

 from the National Science Foundation

(NSF) detail the geographic distribution of

the 1993 U.S. research and development

(R&D) spending total ($166 billion). The

data include R&D performance by industry,

academia, and the Federal Government and

the federally funded R&D activities of

nonprofit institutions. Substantial statespecific information also is available on the

Federal agency sources of R&D support and

on the R&D-performing sectors that receive

Federal funding. These and many more

statistics have been compiled in a set of 51

State Science & Engineering Profiles (including one for the District of Columbia) recently

released by NSF.

State Distribution of R&D

Performance

Roughly one-half of the $166 billion of R&D

spending in 1993 occurred in just six states

(California, New York, Michigan, New Jersey,

Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania) and 10

states (adding Texas, Illinois, Ohio, and

Maryland) accounted for more than two-thirds

of the national effort (chart 1). In each of these

10 states, more than $6 billion was spent on

R&D. Performance in California alone

reached $28 billion, one-fifth of all U.S. funds.

R&D performance in each of the next 10

states totaled more than $2 billion; when

combined with the first 10 states, they collectively accounted for 87 percent of R&D

conducted nationwide in 1993. In contrast, the

20 states with the smallest instate R&D

Six States Account for Majority of R&D

Spending, New NSF State Science and

Engineering Profiles Available [Billions of dollars]

Chart 1. Cumulative distribution of R&D performance,

by state: 1993

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 51

96% 98% 93% 87%

79%

68%

46%

NOTE: Includes R&D expenditures for DC but excludes R&D that cannot be distributed by state.

SOURCE: National Science Foundation/SRS, National Patterns of R&D Resources, annual series
performance collectively accounted for just

$6 billion, 4 percent of nationally performed

R&D.

Not coincidentally, states that are national

leaders in total R&D performance usually are

leading sites of industrial and academic R&D

performance (table 1).

• All but Maryland ranked among the top

10 industrial performers—Washington

State ranking 11th for total R&D) held the

10th spot for industrial R&D.

• All but New Jersey ranked among the top

10 academic performers— North Carolina

(ranking 18th overall) ranked ninth among

the academic listings.

The top 10 sites for R&D performed in Federal

labs include 5 of the 10 states ranked highest in

total R&D. Washington, DC, and Virginia are

listed among the Federal top 10, a fact that—

along with the number one ranking for Maryland—reflects the concentration of Federal

Vol. 1995, No.14, November 13, 1995

Six States Account for Majority of R&D Spending, NSF State Science...—page 2

SRS DATA BRIEF

facilities and administrative offices within the

Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Alabama,

Florida, and New Mexico—with major spaceand defense-related research activity—also

were ranked among the Federal R&D top 10,

but not among the 10 largest total R&D

performers.

Ratio of R&D to Gross State Product

These state rankings change when R&D

expenditures are normalized by the size of

each state. Just as the ratio of R&D expenditures to GDP is used to gauge a country’s

commitment to R&D, the ratio of instate

R&D performance to gross state product

(GSP) measures the R&D intensity of a

state’s economy and facilitates more meaningful interstate comparisons. For example,

whereas the U.S. R&D/GDP ratio was 2.6

percent in 1993, the largest R&D/GSP ratio

was achieved in New Mexico (8.1 percent)

even though the state ranked 17th in terms of

total R&D spending. The high research

intensity of New Mexico’s economy grew

primarily from the considerable Federal

Table 1. R&D performance by state and sector and ratio of R&D to gross state product: 1993

Largest 10 performers (ranked by size of R&D in sector) R&D intensity

Rank

Total R&D1

Total Industry Universities and 

colleges2

Federal 

Government2

Largest 10 R&D/GSP

[Millions of 

dollars] [Percent]

1 $33,721 California California California Maryland New Mexico 8.1

2 10,975 New York Michigan New York California Maryland 6.2

3 10,778 Michigan New York Texas DC DC 6.1

4 9,468 Massachusetts New Jersey Maryland Virginia Massachusetts 5.7

5 9,182 New Jersey Massachusetts Massachusetts Alabama Michigan 5.1

6 8,278 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Florida Delaware 4.9

7 7,442 Maryland Illinois Illinois Ohio California 4.3

8 6,966 Texas Ohio Michigan New Jersey Washington 4.2

9 6,768 Illinois Texas North Carolina New Mexico New Jersey 4.0

10 6,395 Ohio Washington Ohio Texas Colorado 3.2

1

 Includes instate R&D performance of industry, universities, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs),

 and Federal agencies and the federally funded R&D performance of nonprofit institutions.

2

 Excludes R&D activities of FFRDCs located within these states.

KEY: GSP = gross state product

SOURCE: NSF/SRS, National Patterns of R&D Resources, annual series
Vol. 1995, 14, November 13, 1995

Six States Account for Majority of R&D Spending, NSF State Science...—page 3

California and

Maryland are the

two largest

recipients of both

Federal defense and

health R&D funding.

SRS DATA BRIEF

support provided by the Department of

Energy to the several federally funded R&D

centers (FFRDCs) located in the state.

On the other hand, California—ranked first

each in total, industrial, and academic R&D

spending—ranked seventh in terms of R&D

intensity, 4.3 percent. Most small performers,

however, have low R&D intensities. There

were 20 states with less than $0.5 billion of

R&D spending, and 14 of them had an R&D/

GSP ratio of less than 1.0 percent.

Federal Support for R&D

The Department of Defense (DOD) and the

Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS) collectively provided 70 percent of the

Federal Government’s R&D support in 1993

to all performers, including firms, universities, nonprofit institutions, and Federal labs.

California and Maryland were the two largest

recipients of each of these agencies’ funds

(table 2) and thereby were also ranked first

and second in total Federal R&D support.

Performers—primarily industrial firms—in

California received 27 percent of DOD’s

R&D support, and Maryland received 22

percent of HHS funding primarily in support

of the intramural activities undertaken at its

National Institutes of Health biomedical

research facilities. California also received

more of the R&D funds than any other state

from the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (the main recipients being

firms and FFRDCs) and the National Science

Foundation (support going to universities and

colleges). Maryland led all other states in

receiving 30 percent of R&D funds from the

Department of Commerce (DOC). Again,

intramural research activities accounted for

most of Maryland’s DOC funding, here

undertaken at the agency’s National Institute

of Standards and Technology.

State Science & Engineering Profiles

In addition to the state statistics on R&D

expenditures summarized above, NSF’s

Division of Science Resources Studies (SRS)

collects a variety of state-specific data in its

surveys of science and engineering (S&E)

personnel and institutions. All this material is

summarized in a set of 51 one-page state S&E

Profiles available in hard copy or over the

World Wide Web. Comparative statistics and

rankings are provided for states’ R&D and

S&E resource bases, as well as for broader

economic variables from non-SRS sources.

The SRS-surveyed indicators include—

• doctoral scientists and engineers;

• S&E doctorates awarded, including by major S&E fields;

Table 2. Federal R&D obligations, by agency and state: FY 1993

Agency Total R&D Primary recipient Percent Secondary 

recipient

Percent

[Millions of 

dollars]

 Total, all agencies............................... 65,744 California 23 Maryland 11

Department of Agriculture................................ 1,323 Dist. of Columbia 11 Maryland 8

Department of Commerce............................. 656 Maryland 30 Colorado 11

Department of Defense................................ 35,677 California 27 Maryland 10

Department of Energy.................................. 6,258 New Mexico 20 California 18

Dept. of Health & Human Services............................10,297 Maryland 22 California 11

Department of the Interior.................................. 618 Colorado 8 Virginia 7

Department of Transportation.................................. 544 Massachusetts 15 New Jersey 13

Environmental Protection Agency............................... 495 North Carolina 19 Virginia 12

National Aeronautics & Space Admin.................................. 7,995 California 32 Alabama 12

National Science Foundation..................................................... 1,880 California 15 New York 10

SOURCE: NSF/SRS, Federal Funds for Research and Development: Fiscal Years 1993, 1994, and 1995,

 volume 43, NSF 95-334 (Arlington, VA, 1995).
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SRS DATA BRIEF Vol. 1995, No. 14, November 13, 1995

Six States Account for Majority of R&D Spending, NSF State Science...—page 4

• S&E graduate students and postdoctorates;

• Federal R&D obligations, by

agency and performer;

• total and industrial R&D

expenditures; and

• academic R&D expenditures,

including by major S&E fields.

The indicators from non-SRS sources include

population, civilian labor force, per capita

personal income, Federal expenditures, higher

education expenditures, patents, small business innovation research awards, and gross

state product originating in manufacturing,

agriculture, trade, government, and services.

User Notes

U.S. and state R&D expenditures data were

assembled from a number of ongoing NSF

surveys. For information about, and copies

of, State Science & Engineering Profiles,

please contact—

Richard J. Bennof

Research and Development Statistics Program

Division of Science Resources Studies

National Science Foundation

4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 965

Arlington, VA 22230.

For free printed copies of SRS Data Briefs,

write to the above address, call 703-306-1773,

or send e-mail to databrief@nsf.gov.