Behind The Sound Bite: Manufacturing Report Card
School kids aren’t the only ones that receive letter grades. So do states, and the latest report card on Massachusetts was far from gold-star worthy. A research group from Ball State University recently gave the Bay State a C-minus in terms of its manufacturing climate. Below, we break down how the researchers determined the grade and where exactly Massachusetts falls short.
How was the grade determined?
The 2011 Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card, as it’s formally known, reviews the following areas by state: manufacturing and logistics health, human capital, cost of benefits, global position and diversification of industries, state-level productivity and innovation, tax climate and venture capital activities.
Where did Massachusetts perform well?
The Bay State received its only A in the category of venture capital. It also scored relatively well in terms of human capital (B-minus) and productivity/innovation (B-plus).
Where did Massachusetts fall short?
Not surprisingly, Massachusetts received a D for tax climate. However, it also received a poor report for logistics, which includes a state’s ability to both move and store goods, and diversification. States with poor diversification have too much of their manufacturing sector focused on a handful of industries.
How did Massachusetts compare to other states?
Indiana, the home state of the researchers, received four As across the nine categories. Ohio and Washington were second best, receiving three As each. Compared to other New England states, Connecticut fared similarly to Massachusetts, but received a slightly worse score for its tax climate (D-minus). Rhode Island performed the worst of our neighbors, receiving no As and two Fs (one for logistics and the other for tax climate).
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