A Washington, D.C.-based think tank is out with a report looking at the degree to which high-tech innovation contributes to the economy in each of the nation’s 435 Congressional districts. Iowa’s four districts are showing large numbers for the exports of high-tech manufactured goods and intellectual property.
The report comes from the non-partisan Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. It shows the value of high-tech manufacturing exports in Iowa is around $2.1 billion. Another $61 million-worth of information technology is exported and $813 million in intellectual property licenses and royalties are paid out. Because of the University of Iowa, the state’s second district is among the top-50 districts nationwide for the amount of research and development done in academic settings. Iowa’s fourth district is in the top half for R&D because of work at Iowa State. The study estimates nearly 102,000 people in the state work in the high-tech sector.