In 1968, when Doug Engelbart, an engineer at the Stanford Research Institute, took the stage at a computer conference in San Francisco, the region that would become Silicon Valley was still undefined.
At the time, most engineers were working on defense systems, but Engelbart had something else in mind. He argued that computers didn’t have to be military tools — instead, they could help us think better. His demo introduced the mouse, hyperlinks and real-time collaboration. The goal was to make people smarter.
Innovation in the West has never been tightly managed and it’s more corporate now — thanks, in part, to those early breakthroughs. However, the 1968 setting is a reminder: We don’t always see the next turning point as it’s happening.
Today, Silicon Valley contains more market value than most countries. But, the spirit of invention has taken hold elsewhere, too, such as in cities like Bend, Ore., as well as in more developed hubs, like Tempe, Ariz., or Salt Lake City.
With that in mind, this report ranks the 20 most innovation-dense cities in the West based on 15 indicators across employment and talent; education; and business activity.
Some standout findings:
- Santa Clara, Calif., took the top spot overall, with leading scores in STEM employment, degree attainment, and talent attraction.
- Tempe, Ariz., ranked first in education, home to the highest density of vocational STEM schools
- In Fremont, Calif., science, engineering, and tech firms accounted for 14% of all businesses — the highest STEM share among all cities analyzed
- Since 2020, San Jose, Calif., has logged more than 200,000 patents, far surpassing any other city in the ranking
- Boulder, Colo., leads in STEM student density, with 253 out of every 1,000 students enrolled in a STEM program
- Salem, Ore., posted the fastest STEM job growth — up 158% from 2019 to 2023
- San Diego and San Jose, Calif., dominate in R&D and life sciences space, each with roughly 16.5 million square feet completed or under construction
Keep reading for more top 20 highlights, along with a breakdown of which cities did best across the individual metrics. For definitions, sourcing, and point allocation, see our methodology section.
STEM Talent Density & Strong Education Pipelines Set Santa Clara, Berkeley & Tempe Apart
Several top-ranked cities are located in established tech corridors along the coast, where spillover has helped places like the Bay Area and greater Seattle support multiple cities with dense innovation infrastructure — including talent. Even so, inland cities made a strong showing, too. Namely, Tempe, Ariz., and Salt Lake City stood out for their vocational education systems and ability to attract talent with Tempe landing at #3 overall.
And, while California’s Bay Area cities were expected to perform well, it was two of the region’s more modestly sized cities — Santa Clara and Berkeley — that rose to the top. Their rankings reflect the study’s emphasis on density across talent, business presence and educational infrastructure.
In first place, Santa Clara, Calif., stood out for the depth of its STEM workforce and the strength of its business base. Here, more than 20,000 out of every 100,000 residents work in science or engineering — the highest share in the study. Nearly 70% of local degree-holders studied in those fields.
The city also ranked first for talent attraction, which measures the share of newcomers older than age 25 with at least a bachelor’s degree. At the same time, about 14% of local firms are science- or tech-focused (second only to one other city). And, while its education scores were more middle of the pack, Santa Clara still placed third for both vocational STEM institution density and graduation rate.
Next, runner-up Berkeley, Calif., leaned heavily on the education side: About 231 out of every 1,000 students are enrolled in STEM programs — the second-highest share among the top 20 cities. It also tied for the highest graduation rate at 94% and had the second-most STEM-focused universities per capita.
Of course, UC Berkeley plays a big part in that, not just as a top-tier research institution, but as a consistent source of technical talent. The city also landed in the top five for both STEM business share and growth — showing how its academic base feeds directly into the local economy.
In third, Tempe, Ariz., led all cities outside of California. In fact, it topped the education category overall, thanks to standout scores in vocational training — first in vocational STEM institution density, second in programs offered and second in awards granted. Tempe also ranked third for talent attraction, pointing to strong academic and technical pipelines, as well as the ability to bring in skilled newcomers.
