Top 10 most innovative cities

The fifth annual Innovation Cities Index was recently released by the Melbourne-based innovation agency 2thinknow, and it shows U.S. cities leading the way on innovation.

The index looked at 331 benchmark cities from around the world to identify "key city innovation in amidst moribund national economies."

Below, a top 10 list of the most innovative cities in the world:

1. Boston

2. San Francisco

3. Paris

4. New York

5. Vienna

6. Amsterdam

7. Munich

8. Lyon

9. Copenhagen

10. Toronto

Think your city is missing from the list? Here's how 2thinknow analysts measured innovation:

“Innovation Cities Global Index measures cities as innovation economies. This goes beyond technology or patents alone," said 2thinknow's Executive Director, Christopher Hire. "2thinknow analysts also collect data on assess transport, universities, arts, design, sustainability, economics, start-up facilities, labor as well as other factors to measure the opportunities cities offer their citizens. We aim to measure cities economic opportunity not nations.”

So what puts Boston at the top of the list? The analysts say that the city's dominant institutions like Harvard and MIT, businesses, and a strengthening start-up and arts network are what put Boston on top of the list.

See how the rest of the the 331 cities stack up around the world and in their regions.

Photo: Werner Kunz/Flickr

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com