Greater Baltimore generated 647 patents in 1998, up from 470 in 1996. This moved the region up one spot from 15th to 14th among the 20 metropolitan areas. Boston and Minneapolis lead the 20 for this category, while Richmond and Charlotte rank last with fewer than 260 patents each in 1998.

Greater Baltimore moved up from 16th to 14th among the 20 metros for entrepreneurship. The Greater Baltimore region's index (where best = 100) jumped from 33 in 1997 to 49 in 1999. Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham lead for this category, while Philadelphia and Seattle ranked the lowest.

Manufacturing productivity data has not been updated since the 1998 report.

While Greater Baltimore showed an increase from $2.1 billion in 1996 exports to $2.3 billion in 1998, the region dropped from 18th to 19th. Exports grew slightly in most of the 20 metros, but declined a bit in Minneapolis, Portland, Washington, Richmond and St. Louis.

INNOVATION AND NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES CHARTS

• Patent Grants, 1996 and 1998
• Venture Capital Investments, 1999
• Entrepreneurial Dynamism, 1999 and 1997
• Manufacturing Productivity Value Added by Manufacture, 1992
• Export Sales, 1996 and 1998