article re: the best states for business & careers (Boston: universities, taxes)

[kmann-sherborn]

Yahoo! Finance - Financially Fit (http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-111032-7044-4-the-best-states-for-business-and-careers?ywaad=ad0035&nc - broken link)

New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts all rank among the priciest states when it comes to labor, taxes and energy costs. Yet each state moved up the rankings this year, thanks to improving current economic climates and growth prospects relative to the rest of the country, compared with last year.

Massachusetts made the biggest move of any state this year, climbing from No. 34 to No. 16. Business costs in the Bay State are highest in the country: 22% above the national average. But venture capital continues to pour into the state, looking to take advantage of the bright minds at elite universities in and around Boston and Cambridge. VCs invested $2.9 billion in Massachusetts companies last year, second only to California. The state enjoys the highest college attainment rate in the country, with 38% of adults possessing a degree.

[HenryAlan]

It's that whole creative class thing. Massachusetts offers an appealing lifestyle to people who create knowledge. Venture capitalists rightly understand that to be the engine of economic growth. Business thrives here for reasons entirely unrelated to the cost of inputs. The outputs are of such value that it's a worthwhile investment.