Table 12
Patents Issued Per 100,000 Residents, 1996
Rank	State	Amt.		Rank	State	Amt.
1	Delaware	64.6		27	Iowa	16.6
2	Connecticut	51.7		28	Oklahoma	15.8
3	Vermont	44.0		29	Montana	14.9
4	Minnesota	42.8		30	Georgia	14.6
5	Massachusetts	42.3		31	Missouri	14.5
6	New Jersey	40.3		32	South Carolina	14.3
7	New Hampshire	39.4		33	Virginia	14.2
8	California	35.4		34	New Mexico	14.2
9	Michigan	34.1		35	Tennessee	13.3
10	Colorado	33.4		36	Nevada	13.0
11	Illinois	30.8		37	Kansas	13.0
12	NEW YORK	30.3		38	Wyoming	10.8
13	Idaho	30.0		39	Nebraska	10.7
14	Utah	29.2		40	Maine	9.8
15	Rhode Island	29.2		41	Louisiana	9.7
16	Oregon	28.7		42	North Dakota	9.6
17	Wisconsin	28.5		43	Kentucky	9.3
18	Ohio	27.4		44	Hawaii	8.9
19	Pennsylvania	25.9		45	Alaska	8.6
20	Arizona	25.0		46	Alabama	7.4
21	Washington	23.5		47	West Virginia	7.3
22	Indiana	23.2		48	South Dakota	7.1
23	Texas	22.7		49	Arkansas	6.4
24	Maryland	22.0		50	Mississippi	6.0
25	North Carolina	18.7		U.S. Average		25.1
26	Florida	17.1		N.Y.S. % above		20.7%
Source: U.S. Patent Office; CQ's State Fact Finder 1998
Numbers of patents are one indication of states' positions in the growing competition to develop new technology.