Investing.com AI index: How US investors use AI in investment research, by state
Investing.com analysis finds some of the strongest adoption of AI for investment research outside traditional U.S. financial and technology hubs
California investors are embracing artificial intelligence more than those in any other U.S. state, but new data suggests the adoption of AI for investing is spreading well beyond Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
California ranked first in the new Investing.com AI Investing Index, followed by Ohio and Colorado, which tied for second. Florida ranked fourth and Texas fifth, while New York, home to the country’s largest financial center, came in at just 13th.
The index analyzed 12 months of anonymized, aggregated Investing.com user activity, measuring both the use of AI for investment research and engagement with AI-focused stocks. Activity was adjusted for audience size in each state to allow for comparisons between markets of different sizes.
The results point to a geographically broad shift in how retail investors are incorporating AI into their research. Utah and Pennsylvania tied for sixth, followed by Hawaii, Michigan and Minnesota, meaning several of the country’s largest financial and technology centers were absent from the top 10. New York ranked 13th, while neighboring New Jersey placed 27th.
“What this data shows is people doing more research, not less. AI has opened up information that was previously out of reach for retail investors, and that’s leveling the playing field with the professional side of the market,” said Thomas Monteiro, Senior Analyst at Investing.com.
“The outcome is the most significant shift we’re tracking right now: a measurably more sophisticated retail investor, and as the rankings show, that’s happening everywhere.”
AI moves deeper into investment research
Not finding the right stocks? Our AI’s list of investor-grade stock picks for October just dropped »
The findings come as AI becomes an increasingly common part of the investment research process for retail investors.
A March 2026 survey found that 62% of U.S. retail investors had already used AI to help inform an investment decision, with 55.1% expecting their use of the technology to increase.
The activity analyzed for the new index also indicates investors are using AI across a broad range of research tasks, including exploring stock statistics, technical analysis, company news, economic events, dividends and financial statements.
There were also notable differences in how states used the technology. Florida recorded the highest level of AI-assisted investment research activity among qualifying states, while Pennsylvania had the strongest engagement with AI-focused stocks.