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CNBC’s America's Top States for Business 2016
15 Jul, 2016
A scorecard on state economic climate
We score all 50 states on more than 60 measures of competitiveness, developed with input from a broad and diverse array of business and policy experts, official government sources, the CNBC Global CFO Council and the states themselves. States receive points based on their rankings in each metric. Then we separate those metrics into 10 broad categories, weighted based on how frequently each is used as a selling point in state economic development marketing materials. That way, our study ranks the states based on the criteria they use to sell themselves. This year some states were tied. Learn more about our categories and methodology.
VIEW RANKINGS: Data Table | Chart | Maps
Overall
State
Workforce
Cost of Doing Business
Infra-structure
Economy
Quality of Life
Technology and Innovation
Education
Business Friendliness
Cost of Living
Access to Capital
1
Utah
12
19
13
3
13
16
23
10
22
24
2
Texas
8
23
2
1
37
10
40
18
21
7
3
Colorado
1
37
29
2
12
8
25
9
32
8
4
Minnesota
15
35
5
17
2
9
2
27
27
21
5
North Carolina
9
18
30
11
30
7
28
15
18
2
6
Washington
11
30
39
6
8
1
24
30
37
10
7
Michigan
29
12
27
7
32
6
19
30
10
4
8
Georgia
7
31
4
9
37
13
33
14
17
6
9
Iowa
37
2
16
29
9
23
17
15
12
40
10
Florida
14
32
10
4
26
17
26
22
28
14
11
Nebraska
19
15
20
19
18
31
9
7
15
31
12
North Dakota
4
29
6
26
7
44
14
4
26
33
13
Virginia
3
36
32
30
16
15
5
3
30
15
13
Wyoming
6
21
12
14
11
48
3
21
29
50
15
Idaho
28
6
25
12
20
34
49
5
7
22
16
Indiana
36
1
1
20
45
26
29
13
8
18
17
Oregon
31
27
37
5
6
14
34
38
36
22
18
Tennessee
22
10
2
21
46
24
40
6
5
17
19
South Dakota
32
4
28
33
14
44
21
2
20
32
20
Massachusetts
2
46
42
18
17
3
1
20
44
19
21
Ohio
43
15
7
22
34
21
13
37
9
9
22
Montana
45
8
24
13
10
40
27
23
24
40
23
Wisconsin
26
28
19
31
15
19
11
36
23
13
24
Illinois
16
24
16
34
35
11
4
48
34
1
25
Arizona
5
40
16
15
32
22
47
8
31
28
26
New Hampshire
26
39
49
16
4
29
11
1
42
43
27
South Carolina
20
19
21
24
31
32
42
27
19
29
28
Kansas
30
26
8
39
37
28
9
19
16
42
29
New York
35
44
43
10
22
4
8
45
49
11
30
Maryland
10
48
44
23
27
5
16
26
38
26
31
Missouri
49
14
9
34
49
25
14
15
11
20
32
California
21
49
33
8
23
2
38
50
47
2
33
Pennsylvania
33
34
35
42
29
12
21
35
35
12
34
New Jersey
16
42
44
36
19
17
6
44
41
5
35
Kentucky
46
5
14
40
42
37
29
41
2
38
36
Vermont
47
43
41
26
3
30
7
30
40
49
37
Delaware
13
38
36
26
28
27
45
11
48
46
38
Alabama
38
17
21
48
43
36
46
30
4
16
39
New Mexico
42
24
14
38
36
33
34
43
25
46
40
Nevada
23
22
11
37
41
42
50
23
33
44
41
Arkansas
34
9
21
32
50
47
36
42
3
39
42
Oklahoma
41
13
26
44
48
43
44
12
6
35
43
Connecticut
18
47
47
43
25
19
18
29
46
25
44
Louisiana
25
7
34
46
47
46
39
40
14
30
45
Alaska
38
41
37
41
20
41
37
25
45
36
46
Maine
50
33
48
49
5
39
31
34
39
27
47
Mississippi
44
3
31
50
44
50
48
47
1
34
47
West Virginia
40
11
39
47
40
49
32
49
13
48
49
Hawaii
48
50
46
25
1
38
43
46
50
37
50
Rhode Island
23
45
50
45
24
35
20
39
43
45