The Geography of Clinical Trials: Where Research Money Concentrates
Research payments follow trial infrastructure, not the population centers that lead General Payments. Texas and Florida — not California and New York — top the 2025 research map.
The Geography of Clinical Trials
Research money follows trial infrastructure, and its map differs from General Payments. Where General Payments lead in California and New York, research payments concentrate in Texas and Florida — home to major cancer centers and trial networks.
In This Analysis
The Leaders and the Movers
Texas ($1.18B) and Florida ($1.16B) lead 2025 research spend, followed by California ($1.05B), New York ($573M), and North Carolina ($525M). North Carolina — the Research Triangle and a CRO hub — is growing at a ~15% annual rate, and Arizona jumped ~57% in 2025 on a single large neuro-oncology award.
From Map to Monitoring
Geographic surges in research usually trace to a specific award or a new site. That makes them actionable: a state or county growing far above trend is a short list to review against the company's own trial footprint. Most surges have legitimate drivers — a new center, a major award — but confirming that is the point.
Arizona's 57% surge in 2025 traced to a single $62.3 million award. Geographic anomalies in research data are often explained by one event — which makes them fast to investigate.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Research Triangle | The North Carolina region dense with universities and CROs. |
| Neuro-oncology | Cancer of the nervous system — a high-cost trial area. |
| Trial footprint | The set of sites where a manufacturer runs studies. |