Patent data is a rough but imperfect proxy for innovation; patents are often owned by large corporations or universities rather than individual inventors. But regional patent data does point toward areas of high intellectual productivity, and it's safe to assume that some of those patents flow from start-up companies.
Last year, I took a look at some of the subtler patterns that patents reveal. The map above is based on a measure of innovation density, which we calculate as patents per square kilometer.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Where the Innovators Are - Richard Florida - Technology - The Atlantic
