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Massachusetts Named Top US Economy, Innovation Leader

6/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

WalletHub ranked Massachusetts the best U.S. state economy in June 2026.
The study gave Massachusetts #1 for innovation potential, #5 for economic activity, said it leads in per-capita R&D and venture-capital funding, with tech over a quarter of GDP, and cited Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Boston University and Tufts as key drivers.
Massachusetts reported $22 billion in 2024 public-school spending, the seventh-highest per-student amount nationally, and ranked 44th in affordability, highlighting cost-of-living challenges.

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Story summary

WalletHub ranked Massachusetts the best U.S. state economy in June 2026.
The study gave Massachusetts #1 for innovation potential, #5 for economic activity, said it leads in per-capita R&D and venture-capital funding, with tech over a quarter of GDP, and cited Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Boston University and Tufts as key drivers.
Massachusetts reported $22 billion in 2024 public-school spending, the seventh-highest per-student amount nationally, and ranked 44th in affordability, highlighting cost-of-living challenges.