Consumer Technology Association Releases 2025 State Innovation Scorecard
April 8, 2025
12 states named innovation champions amid new tech categories
Today the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® releases its 2025 U.S. Innovation Scorecard, which evaluates all 50 states across 11 distinct public policy categories. This year’s Scorecard features four new categories reflecting the expanding foundations required for technological innovation.
In this year’s scorecard, CTA’s seventh edition, the group names 12 states as Innovation Champions — the highest-scoring category:
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Georgia
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Iowa
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Kansas
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Kentucky
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Nevada
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New Hampshire
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North Dakota
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South Dakota
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Texas
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Tennessee
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Utah
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Washington
“These states launch and grow the founders, businesses, and innovative technologies that help commerce move seamlessly online, relieve supply chain bottlenecks, and deliver vital medical care across state lines,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO and Vice Chair, CTA.
The new categories assess:
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Blockchain, which assesses the state legislation on policies towards blockchain technologies;
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Data Privacy, which measures indicators on businesses’ ability to innovate and compete without compromising sensitive data or legal clarity;
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Grid Preparedness, which measures a state’s energy demand in comparison to its energy supply; and
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Manufacturing, which analyzes a state’s total number of manufacturers, its manufacturing percentage of GDP, and how it is attracting new manufacturing talent. These new categories complement the seven categories carried over from the 2023 Scorecard, underscoring our intent to assess how states have continued to develop in key areas.
“This year’s U.S. Innovation Scorecard honorees prioritize technology infrastructure and create sophisticated solutions to empower innovation in their communities” said Kinsey Fabrizio, President, CTA. “New innovations change the relationship between humans and technology, with advances in robotics, AI, smart home and more improving the lives of millions of consumers.”
Other notes of interest from the 2025 Innovation Scorecard:
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Kentucky made the greatest leap this year, rising from Modest Innovator to Innovation Champion, scoring highly in the new categories of Grid Preparedness and Data Privacy.
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Georgia made the leap from Innovation Leader, and its new top-level status reflects the consistency of its scores across the board: it did not receive a grade lower than B- of any measured category.
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Six of this year’s 12 Innovation Champions earned the same honor when CTA produced its last Scorecard in 2023; Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, & Washington
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This year’s Scorecard also includes six new rising innovative states that made the jump into the top category: Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Georgia, Iowa, and New Hampshire were Innovation Leaders in 2023, while South Dakota and Tennessee moved up from the third-ranked category of Innovation Adopter.
Explore the full report and read state-by-state profiles.