Although Chattanooga brags about its "Innovation District" and bills itself as a "Gig City," Tennessee overall ranked among other predominately Southern states as being among the least innovative states. Among the 50 states, Tennessee ranked 44th in human capital and 45th in innovation environment.
1. West Virginia
2. Mississippi
3. Louisiana
4. Kentucky
5. Oklahoma
6. North Dakota
7. Tennessee
8. Iowa
9. South Dakota
10. Maine
Source: WalletHub ranked states based upon 18 indicators of innovation-friendliness, including R&D spending, the number of technology companies and the share of professionals employed in science, technology, engineering and math. Maryland, Massachusetts and California were the most innovative states.