Newton loses out to . . . Shrewsbury?

In a state that sees itself as a high tech hub, North Reading and Shrewsbury stand out as the two most tech-friendly communities in Massachusetts, according to a ranking released by the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

Newton ranked 318 out of 351 towns and cities statewide, according to the ranking at www.masstrack.org. Other low ranking nearby communities were Framingham and Sudbury.

The Tech council, a Waltham-based nonprofit lobbying group, evaluated all 351 cities and towns on 12 factors including commercial tax rate, business incentives, number of college graduates within a 30-minute drive, and MCAS scores, to come up with its annual ranking.

The adoption of “expedited permitting,” a state initiative that allows communities to fast track certain stages of building permitting to attract development, was a key factor in the rankings, according to Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

“We compete with a number of states that are doing a very effective job of welcoming the innovation economy,” said Anderson. “Unlike many other states, Massachusetts has strong local rule or home rule history. It’s more difficult for some of the statewide policy initiatives to take root because you have to overturn the historic role of the cities and towns in determining what goes on in each city and town.”

North Reading topped the list thanks to its low tax rate ($11.50 per $1000), its large number of college grads in the area (552,446), as well as its adoption of expedited permitting.

Shrewsbury ranked second because of its low tax rate ($9.14), adoption of expedited permitting, and use of the Tax Increment Financing Program. The latter factor helped attract Charles River Laboratories, which is the town’s biggest taxpayer, according to Town Manager Dan Morgado.

-- Lisa Kocian