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Economic Impact of Health Research

Investment: Funding sources for overall research and development (2007)

Source of R&D Funding InvestmentState Rank
Federal Government$408,000,000 34
Industry$350,000,00038
Universities$144,000,000 23
Non-profit$62,000,00017
Other *$109,000,00010
Total$1,073,000,00037

* Other represents funding from state and local governments and funding for Federally Funded Research and Development Centers from non-federal sources.

Source: National Science Foundation, National Patterns of R&D Resources, 2008


Population (2011)

 Residents State Rank
Population, June 1, 2011 4,533,372
25 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Data


Economic Impact: Statistics for research-driven health industries (2008)

Industry EmploymentAnnual Salary
Pharmaceutical 240$35,848
Medical Device871
$33,825
Research, Testing, and Laboratories2,723
$44,445
Overall Private Sector1,541,393
$40,389

Source: Battelle and Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), BIO State Bioscience Initiatives, 2010


Highlights from local economic impact studies

United for Medical Research's 2011 study, An Economic Engine, shows that in 2010, NIH invested $162,000,000 in Louisiana, producing 4,451 new jobs.

New Orleans' Tulane University employs 5,173 people while Tulane Medical Center employs an additional 1,764, making both Tulane and Tulane Medical Center among the largest employers in the city.


The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that the member medical schools and teaching hospitals in the state had a combined economic impact of $6.1 billion and a total employment impact of 39,100 in 2008.

The Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation in Baton Rouge attracts $3 of federal or private funding for each dollar from the state. In FY 2003-2004, the research center produced 24 technology disclosures, 8 patent applications, and one start-up company.

Louisiana invests $140 million in the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport and the Conway Medical Center in Monroe. In return, the Center generates $533 million in household earnings and $558 million in sales and supports nearly 13,000 jobs.