Massachusetts leads in `new economy' - Montana 40th

November 19, 2008

Massachusetts once again leads all other states in moving its economy away from the old industrial “smokestack-chasing” model to one based on technology, creativity and innovation, a new report released Nov. 18 said. Washington, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey round out the top five states, while Mississippi and West Virginia ranked lowest in making the transition to the new economy, according to "The 2008 State New Economy Index,” http://www.itif.org/files/2008_State_New_Economy_Index.pdf released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation http://www.kauffman.org/ and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation http://www.itif.org/ , both nonpartisan groups that focus on innovation.

STATES AND THE NEW ECONOMY

The 2008 State New Economy Index ranks states’ ability to thrive in an information-driven economy, based on 29 measures, including the number of jobs in a state that require at least some college education and how well its economy is structured to compete regionally and globally.

1. Massachusetts 2. Washington state 3. Maryland 4. Delaware 5. New Jersey 6. Connecticut 7. Virginia 8. California 9. New York 10. Colorado 11. Rhode Island 12. Utah 13. New Hampshire 14. Minnesota 15. Oregon 16. Illinois 17. Michigan 18. Texas 19. Vermont 20. Arizona 21. Georgia 22. Pennsylvania 23. Florida 24. North Carolina 25. Nevada 26. Idaho 27. Nebraska 28. Maine 29. New Mexico 30. Ohio 31. Kansas 32. Alaska 33. Wisconsin 34. South Carolina 35. Hawaii 36. Indiana 37. Missouri 38. Tennessee 39. North Dakota 40. Montana 41. Louisiana 42. Iowa 43. Oklahoma 44. South Dakota 45. Kentucky 46. Wyoming 47. Alabama 48. Arkansas 49. West Virginia 50. Mississippi

Source: The Kauffman Foundation and The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation's "The 2008 State New Economy Index," November 2008

By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

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