America's Top States for Business 2018

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, YPO 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.

Full 2018 Top States coverage

State	Overall	Workforce	Infra-structure	Cost of Doing Business	Economy	Quality of Life	Technology and Innovation	Education	Business Friendliness	Access to Capital	Cost of Living
Texas	1	7	1	18	1	31	9	37	21	3	11
Washington	2	2	31	33	4	5	6	12	32	11	37
Utah	3	11	10	23	2	12	19	34	12	18	22
Virginia	4	3	20	34	13	19	15	6	5	13	33
Colorado	5	5	29	37	8	9	7	11	17	11	34
Minnesota	6	16	6	38	18	3	5	5	28	17	29
Georgia	7	4	3	36	2	32	21	29	21	8	9
Massachusetts	8	1	42	43	14	10	2	1	18	7	48
North Carolina	9	9	21	16	6	28	11	37	23	9	18
Florida	10	27	8	31	9	23	7	36	16	4	26
Idaho	11	29	24	4	5	13	35	40	3	29	13
Michigan	11	10	18	19	16	33	3	28	25	15	4
Tennessee	13	27	5	15	7	47	30	33	8	23	5
Nebraska	14	22	29	2	37	11	31	3	12	33	15
Ohio	15	25	4	13	24	35	16	15	37	14	14
Indiana	16	40	2	5	20	46	28	35	4	24	10
Wisconsin	17	22	23	21	19	24	20	14	24	25	24
Iowa	18	39	24	6	34	7	26	13	15	36	12
Oregon	19	19	28	32	12	18	14	29	38	20	45
Arizona	20	8	16	39	10	36	23	48	11	20	20
South Dakota	20	30	38	9	27	16	41	16	2	45	27
Pennsylvania	22	13	37	25	41	34	13	7	31	6	32
Missouri	23	41	11	8	25	45	22	18	27	22	6
New Hampshire	24	19	49	40	22	5	26	2	1	41	39
California	25	12	24	48	11	21	1	32	50	1	49
Wyoming	26	22	12	20	30	20	49	21	10	47	20
New York	27	32	44	42	23	14	4	3	48	2	47
Illinois	28	25	22	29	42	30	12	17	47	4	25
North Dakota	29	30	14	29	44	4	42	23	6	46	29
South Carolina	30	21	35	17	17	42	31	26	28	28	27
Maryland	31	6	45	45	21	26	10	20	35	16	44
Vermont	32	46	32	35	29	1	25	10	33	49	40
Nevada	33	37	8	3	15	40	47	50	19	26	36
Montana	34	45	32	14	34	7	39	24	20	38	31
Kansas	35	38	14	27	48	28	29	18	9	40	7
New Jersey	36	18	43	50	31	16	18	7	44	9	41
Connecticut	37	16	47	46	45	22	17	9	26	18	43
Delaware	38	14	35	41	25	39	24	26	28	38	35
Oklahoma	39	43	27	12	32	44	40	48	7	35	3
Arkansas	40	43	12	1	39	50	47	42	40	36	2
Alabama	41	36	18	26	37	48	34	47	36	30	8
Kentucky	42	49	7	10	47	37	36	39	46	30	16
New Mexico	43	34	17	24	46	41	37	44	42	33	19
Louisiana	44	35	38	7	40	49	44	46	41	27	17
Maine	45	50	48	27	43	15	38	22	34	30	38
Rhode Island	45	15	50	44	28	27	33	25	38	43	42
Hawaii	47	48	40	49	33	2	42	31	43	42	50
West Virginia	48	47	45	11	36	37	50	41	49	47	23
Mississippi	49	41	41	22	49	42	46	43	45	43	1
Alaska	50	33	34	47	50	25	45	45	14	49	46

America's Top States for Business 2018

A scorecard on state economic climate

America's Top States for Business 2018

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Collection: Top States Bio for Scott