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Financial Research and Development Inputs
Quartiles | Findings | Description
Federal R&D obligations per civilian worker: 2002
Federal R&D obligations per civilian worker: 2002
Quartiles
Federal R&D obligations per civilian worker: 2002*
| 1st Quartile ($10,166–$694) |
2nd Quartile ($642–$369) |
3rd Quartile ($357–$252) |
4th Quartile ($227–$117) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Georgia | Florida | Arkansas |
| Alaska | Hawaii | Idaho | Delaware |
| Arizona | Maine | Illinois | Indiana |
| California | Minnesota | Iowa | Kansas |
| Colorado | Mississippi | Michigan | Kentucky |
| Connecticut | Missouri | Montana | Louisiana |
| District of Columbia | New Hampshire | Nevada | Nebraska |
| Maryland | New Jersey | North Carolina | Oklahoma |
| Massachusetts | New York | North Dakota | South Carolina |
| New Mexico | Ohio | Oregon | South Dakota |
| Rhode Island | Pennsylvania | Tennessee | Wisconsin |
| Virginia | Utah | Texas | Wyoming |
| Washington | Vermont | West Virginia | |
|
*States in alphabetical order, not data order.
SOURCES: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Federal Funds for Research and Development; and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. See |
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Findings
- Federal R&D obligations rose from $64 billion in 1992 to $84 billion in 2002, an increase of 31%.
- The increase in federal R&D obligations (unadjusted for inflation) was greater than the increase in the civilian workforce, and the value of this indicator rose from $536 per worker in 1992 to $612 per worker in 2002.
- Federal R&D obligations in 2002 varied greatly among the states, ranging from $117 to $3,318 per worker. Higher values were found in the states surrounding the District of Columbia and in sparsely populated states with national laboratories.
- The District of Columbia was an outlier with $10,166 per worker, possibly because many federal employees work there but live in neighboring states.
Description
This indicator shows how federal research and development funding is disbursed geographically relative to the size of states’ civilian workforces. Because the Department of Defense is the primary source for federal R&D obligations, much of this funding is used for development, but it also may provide direct and indirect benefits to a state’s economy and may stimulate the conduct of basic research. A high value may indicate the existence of major federally funded R&D facilities in the state.
Federal R&D dollars are attributed to the states in which the recipients of federal obligations are located. The size of a state’s civilian workforce is estimated based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, which assigns workers to a location based on residence. Because of these differences and the sample-based nature of the population data, estimates for sparsely populated states and the District of Columbia may be imprecise.
