ITIF issues report profiling states, Congressional Districts in terms of technology
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation has issued a report titled “High-Tech Nation: How Technological Innovation Shapes America’s 435 Congressional Districts.” It’s a fascinating and somewhat surprising look at states and Congressional Districts through a variety of lenses.
A couple of the genera statistics highlighted in the introduction are worth noting:
- Three-fourths of all Districts are home to at least 1,000 patent filers.
- More than one-half on the Districts received at least $50 million in federal research funding in the past two fiscal years.
How does Tennessee compare?
- Our state’s best overall rankings are in what is classified as “High-Tech Manufacturing Exports” – chemical manufacturing and computer and electronic products. Congressman Phil Roe’s First Congressional District ranks number 21, no doubt because of Eastman Chemical, and Congressman Scott DesJarlais’ Fourth District comes in at 41st.
- For the state as a whole, we rank 10th in the gross value of “High-Tech Manufacturing Exports” exports and 28th in terms of the gross value of telecommunications, computer and information services exports.
- Tennessee also places high in “Royalty and License Share of All Service Exports,” ranking number 22. Among the state’s nine Congressional Districts, the one where this sector is most concentrated is in Tennessee’s Fourth District which is ranked 47th.
- Perhaps somewhat surprising is Tennessee’s ranking in terms of “High-Tech Sector Workers.” Our position is 20th in overall numbers of these workers, but a non-surprising 35th in terms of their percentage of the total workforce.
- During the period of 2012 to 2015, Tennessee had a disappointing ranking in terms of number of individuals per 1,000 workers who filed a utility patent. We ranked 36th, just ahead of Kentucky.
- Underscoring the State of Tennessee’s emphasis on the need to accelerate the deployment of broadband is that we rank 27th in terms of the percentage of households with wired and wireless access at speeds in excess of 25 Mbps and 10 Mbps.
