Scaling Relationship of Patent Counts vs. Population Size - Regional and Population Subgroup Analyses of 50 States in the U.S.

Abstract

We examine the scaling relationship between the number of patents granted and the population size of individual states in the U.S. over the period of 1992-2010. We find an increasing return to scale or superlinear relationship for the total sample of 50 states. And this relationship is relativity stable during the time period. When the relationship is examined by the subgroups of more populous vs. less populous states, we find that the subgroup of more populous states shows a more pronounced superlinear relation. On the other hand, the subgroup of less populous states displays a sublinear relation. When the relationship is analyzed among the four regions, the West shows a superlinear, while the other three regions display sublinear relations.Next to population size, income per capita and population density often influence positively the outcome of patent counts. Implications from these findings will be presented.