Ranked: Which US states do economic storytelling best (and worst)

Here’s a first: a state-by-state ranking of ecosystem storytelling, quantifying how well places surface and spread the work of their scientists and founders so it travels beyond insiders. 

If you care about attraction, retention and creation of business in your community, this matters.

Storytelling isn’t a press release; it’s a habit. Like diet and exercise, the first step isn’t the solution — it’s the beginning. Done well, it compounds, as the research shows: more follow-on coverage, wider connections and, over 7–10 years, meaningful gains in startup activity.

Why don’t more places lead with storytelling?

Place-based marketing grew from boosterism and tourism, then accelerated as deindustrializing cities competed for people, firms and capital. Philip Kotler’s 1993 “Marketing Places” popularized treating places as products; scholars like Mihalis Kavaratzis pushed the field from promotion to identity-driven branding.

Meanwhile, post-WWII economic development targeted big firms. Today, with Americans moving less and entrepreneurship (still) booming, ecosystem builders and traditional economic development orgs (EDOs, in the lingo) are influencing each other.

The research keeps piling up: new business drives regional vitality — right up to recent Nobel recognition.

So storytelling needs an update. The Kauffman Foundation’s influential ecosystem-building playbook rightly lists it as a pillar. At Technical.ly, storytelling means: Gather authentic people stories and facts, publish clearly, listen, repeat. Entrepreneurs choose where to live first, then start companies. Narrative strengthens that choice and amplifies resources already on the ground. That’s why we now provide “ecosystem storytelling services” to place-based economic development.

Many still don’t do storytelling, for three main reasons. Some doubt it works. Some expect someone else to do it. Even believers stall because payoff takes time. A recent survey of thousands of Americans adds context: people still crave local, “fact-based” information — even if “journalism” needs rehab and “storytelling” can sound fuzzy outside our field.

Across the US, you’ll find four common storytelling modes

• Traditionalists: EDOs control a narrow narrative; occasional local/business coverage (Example: Phoenix)
• Collaborators: Entrepreneurship support orgs (ESOs!) and individuals loosely align around a broader story (Example: Twin Cities)
• Exceptions: A few breakout companies and influencers carry the load (Example: Denver-Boulder)
• Strategists: Dedicated, ongoing capacity integrates all of the above (Example: Pittsburgh)

Longevity and reach are the hurdles — speaking to locals and showing up outside the state. Geography complicates it: Ecosystems live regionally, but states set identity and policy.

Technical.ly aims to bridge both: local reporting with statewide strategy. To become a national platform for local ecosystem storytelling, we needed a baseline. This is a start.

Why a state ranking (instead of regional)? Inside our methodology

Regions are where ecosystems live, but states hold two things we must see: policy signals and the rural gap. An analysis of storytelling strategy at the ecosystem (read: regional) level would be insightful, but that’s not this (yet). 

Instead, for a first pass across 50 states, a statewide lens lets us mix urban engines with rural and suburban dynamics and notice when coverage stops at city lines. 

Pennsylvania’s ranking shows the tradeoff. It has two national-caliber ecosystems: Pittsburgh (a powerhouse for robotics and AI) and Philadelphia (biotech, software development and now among the world’s 15 largest). Both are places Technical.ly has covered deeply. The governor’s office is investing in a statewide economic development plan, but it’s too early to overcome decades of broader narrative neglect — and the state’s otherwise mid-tier economy. Two strong regional stories plus a nascent statewide one put PA high on the list, but not top tier.

No doubt a statewide ranking fits some places better than others. But to move the work forward, it’s a useful start. The aim isn’t another scoreboard. It’s to spotlight strengths and opportunities for each state.

When it comes to methodology, note that this is journalist-led, not a PhD thesis. We blended four public signals with simple weights, cross-checked against 2025 interviews and a 2019 state-by-state analysis.

These metrics and their weights are:

1. News count (40%) — 2025 stories per capita in Google News/Lexis combining state/region names with science/tech/innovation/startup terms
2. Digital reach of a dedicated storyteller (40%) — Similarweb/Hootsuite for the state’s strongest ecosystem news/info source, discounted by coverage area
3. Ecosystem sources + volume (15%) — Social mentions (X/Instagram/LinkedIn) with relevant terms, plus the share using state vs. regional identity
4. State dynamism (5%) — EIG dynamism to ground the picture (truer stories tend to travel)

Where Technical.ly concentrates our reporting, the independent coverage naturally lifts the storyteller signal and reach — so too does a class of other local ecosystem storytellers. In states without one, partnering is a proven way to add capacity fast. We’ll refine this with better inputs next year.

Go deep with our state-by-state analysis ⬇️

• Alabama — Innovate Alabama has made admirable progress with traditional earned media, but the relative strengths of Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile are still siloed. Build an ongoing strategy that extends beyond true believers and lands select national activations tied to clear founder wins.
• Alaska — Scrappy and well-liked with serious research ties, but tiny, hard to find and inward-facing. Translate Arctic/energy stories into plain-language founder case studies and place them with national desks beyond tourism.
• Arizona — Still dominated by traditional economic development, early ecosystem building in Phoenix, university-led communications and site selection. Push beyond EDO talking points; add rural/tribal entrepreneurship lanes and secure out-of-state pickups.
• Arkansas — Northwest Arkansas momentum (and corporate innovation) helps, but the storytelling stops at the region. Extend beyond NWA with independent distribution that ties Bentonville to Delta founders.
• California — So vast it’s lost control of the narrative it should lead: Silicon Valley to inland agriculture down to Southern California is dominant, yet unevenly told. Still, its importance and reputation in the global innovation economy is so vast that it remains the storytelling chief. Wrest back control with a statewide storytelling strategy that goes back to local roots.
• Colorado — Denver-Boulder were early national leaders; statewide branding is strong—so strong the state can overperform on polish. Add more professional accountability: formalize beyond a few influential individuals and spread capacity to other metros.
• Connecticut — University press wins are reliable, but they don’t add up to an ecosystem story. Knit advanced manufacturing and life-sciences founders into a statewide series pitched to national industry beats.
• Delaware — Small, adjacent to major media markets and with a true statewide identity, but under-invested in its own storytelling. Stand up an independent channel that regularly taps Philly/Baltimore audiences and spotlights finance/regulatory strengths.
• Florida — Miami/Orlando/Tampa carry the score; rural counties and the Panhandle are largely invisible. Build a rural + Spanish-language pipeline and prioritize placements outside Florida so stories travel beyond the state’s echo chambers.
• Georgia — Atlanta has invested in storytelling, but rural gaps are high. Add an HBCU-corridor and rural strategy with independent validators and targeted national syndication.
• Hawaii — Ocean tech, defense and climate resilience are compelling, but storytelling is relatively nonexistent. Package repeatable founder case studies and aim them at West Coast and DC editors.
• Idaho — Boise’s momentum is real, yet the rural maker/semiconductor supply chain rarely shows up in narratives. Tie those wins together and place them beyond Mountain West outlets.
• Illinois — Chicago is a local media powerhouse and university comms are robust, but skew toward general business. Elevate ecosystem-level storytellers and South/Downstate voices with third-party validation.
• Indiana — State-led campaigns, backed by Indiana Economic Development Corp., are organized and include rural counties better than most, but they’re heavily controlled and concentrated. Diversify messengers and secure national pickups via independent media partners.
• Iowa — Ag-tech proofs abound, but university channels dominate; losing homegrown Clay & Milk hurt. Turn proofs into people-driven narratives and syndicate to non-Midwest outlets.
• Kansas — Storytelling is relatively haphazard across Wichita and KC. Connect ag-aviation founders into a coherent narrative and place features on coastal beats.
• Kentucky — Bourbon-to-biotech and Appalachian entrepreneurship are ingredients that don’t yet travel. Route founder stories through third-party validators to reach outside the region.
• Louisiana — New Orleans is a storytelling magnet and the NSF-funded FUEL Engine helps, but there’s no statewide coalition. Build a parish-to-state pipeline that includes coastal resilience and rural founders.
• Maine — Organizing is strong, but stories stay with university PR and true believers. Systematize blue-economy storytelling and pitch national climate/working-waterfront desks.
• Maryland — A vibrant Baltimore–DC corridor and a well-regarded statewide strategy make it a leader, yet rural counties lag and the federal halo looms large. Invest in independent capacity outside the Beltway and broaden beyond federal-centric wins.
• Massachusetts — Boston/Cambridge’s global lift masks Gateway City gaps. Fund statewide ecosystem storytellers beyond university comms and the national press to cover what’s between the coasts and Kendall.
• Michigan — Statewide efforts and Detroit’s fits-and-starts put Michigan in the top third. What’s missing is consistency and third-party validation to push into the strongest tier.
• Minnesota — A well-regarded statewide ED approach and respected work by GreaterMSP, but cadence wobbles between the Twin Cities and the rest of the state. Connect Greater MN (and Mayo) founders to national med-tech beats with predictable publishing.
• Mississippi — Innovate Mississippi is a start; ecosystems are modest and lack dedicated storytelling resources. Invest in a broader Southern strategy, backed by an HBCU-to-founder pipeline and rural desk with independent validators.
• Missouri — Startland News is a real asset that lifts above ecosystem size, and the Kauffman Foundation’s local strategy is a local win. Coordinate statewide and distribute outside-market to national desks to grow beyond Kansas City.
• Montana — The Headwaters Tech Hub and remote-work boom boosted visibility, but photonics and related strengths remain undertold. Tell those stories consistently and target national adventure/defense editors.
• Nebraska — Silicon Prairie News keeps visibility up relative to ecosystem scale. Expand sourcing beyond Omaha/Lincoln and pitch coastal tech/business outlets.
• Nevada — Vegas/Reno dominate and overshadow water/energy innovation narratives. Build a statewide strategy that breaks into national industry press, not just West Coast entertainment/business.
• New Hampshire — Too often Boston-shadowed. Create an NH-branded series that ties Dartmouth-linked research and rural makers, and push it nationally.
• New Jersey — wedged between NYC and Philly and facing the closure of a homegrown ecosystem outlet, NJ’s storytelling slipped. Rebuild an independent statewide storyteller with external reach and a life-sciences/ports/fintech spine.
• New Mexico — Los Alamos/Sandia produce wins that rarely get plain-language follow-through. Convert awards into explainers across rural counties and place them outside the Southwest.
• New York — The urban dynamo meets upstate industrial policy wins to make this a close second top storytelling state, but even here gaps persist. Next: tie a cohesive statewide narrative that builds rather than divides NYC and Upstate.
• North Carolina — Triangle and Charlotte excel and university comms are elite, but there’s no dedicated statewide storyteller reaching outside NC. Connect regions and rural counties with an independent channel that syndicates nationally.
• North Dakota — An NSF Engine and ag-tech research lift the baseline. Now build a coherent strategy and add third-party validation so stories aren’t only in-state.
• Ohio — State-led marketing is robust and visible, behind powerhouse JobsOhio. Add independent messengers and national placements so it isn’t just “Ohio saying Ohio is great.”
• Oklahoma — Tulsa/OKC ecosystem investments are real, with tribal entrepreneurship and energy transition threads. Connect wins into a statewide story and target outside-region coverage.
• Oregon — Portland-centric coverage misses CHIPS and rural manufacturing founders. Link those wins and pitch national industry desks.
• Pennsylvania — Philly/Pittsburgh drive scores (including but not only Technical.ly); a governor-backed statewide strategy is new and promising. Build a rural storytelling lane and a syndication layer beyond PA to cement the statewide identity.
• Rhode Island — Even indexed to population, the state hasn’t invested enough in telling its wins (including a Tech Hub). Stand up a consistent cadence that pushes beyond Providence.
• South Carolina — The narrative is still traditional ED and tourism, while the economy diversifies. Translate manufacturing-corridor wins into founder stories across rural counties and place them nationally.
• South Dakota — Sioux Falls and precision ag are bright spots, but coverage rarely travels. Validate with independent profiles placed beyond the Plains.
• Tennessee — Launch Tennessee is well-regarded and influential, lifting local ecosystem building into the top half. Link local-to-state-to-national storytelling to climb further.
• Texas — Big metros dominate and leave rural/West Texas undertold. Add a statewide syndication layer and rural pipeline that places beyond urban media hubs.
• Utah — A vibrant mix of individuals and orgs contributes, but feels scattered. Harness creator energy under independent editors to unify a statewide strategy.
• Vermont — Climate/food/advanced manufacturing stories exist but sporadically. Make them consistent and aim for national sustainability desks.
• Virginia — Reliant on the DC media halo but not independently known. Build Virginia-branded channels that lift Richmond, Hampton Roads, Roanoke and rural founders to broader audiences.
• Washington — Seattle (with GeekWire) leads; Eastern WA is quiet. Invest in Spokane/Tri-Cities founder pipelines and pitch national industry beats beyond Big Tech coverage.
• West Virginia — State-led storytelling is improving, with leaders who take it seriously (Daily304 is an impressive in-house endeavor). Add independent validators and national placements to move out of the bottom tier.
• Wisconsin — University comms are strong; Milwaukee and Madison pull in different directions. Finance ecosystem-level storytellers and elevate rural manufacturing founders with independent distribution.
• Wyoming — Strategy remains heavily tied to extractives and tourism; the entrepreneurial ecosystem is modest and near invisible. Frame energy transition and frontier tech through founders and pitch nationally.