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North Carolina and Georgia always rank very high in the "Best states for business' category. Last year, another magazine ranked Georgia number #1 for 9 consecutive years. Quite impressive!
6 south, 2 midwest, and 2 west states. What is the northeast doing?
NJ was the most improved state compared to last year's list. Delaware, PA, and NY also showed some noted improvements are in the top 20, and the NE especially scores well in the Life, Health & Inclusion category. Meanwhile, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana are in the bottom ten, so the South is probably the most polarized region regarding overall performance. SC is the only real middling Southern state on this list.
Funny thing about these lists is that if you look at them from the bottom up, the places on bottom are actually best for work from homers (maybe except LA and MS). The things that scare businesses away actually make areas good spots to live ironically. Nature (at least wild open spaces) and business seem to be inversely related.
I have no idea if this list represents reality, but it's refreshing to see one without an obvious ideological bent. The usual "over-taxed, over-regulated, anti-business" states like CA, IL, NY, NJ, MD are around the middle of the pack, not the top or the bottom.
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I disagree with Virginia at #2. That is way too high. Virginia is ranked #1 in Education...?
I also disagree with Tennessee being ranked at #3 best state for business. Poor medical access/care, high rates of poverty and crime, low rates of education, poor infrastructure (yet somehow ranked #3 on the list for Infrastructure...). The western part of the state as well as rural areas outside of the cities are in economic distress.
Utah is one of the most authoritarian states in the nation (if not the most) and is somehow ranked #9 best state for business? Utah: #9 best state for business (assuming your business is operating a Mormon temple).
Lastly, Wyoming at #37 is even too high. Wyoming is the most remote, secluded, landlocked, mountainous state. I cannot imagine it is an easy place to conduct business for its geographic and logistical issues. I would definitely rank Wyoming near the bottom, chiefly for its terrible geography/location/sparse population/inhospitable conditions. Alaska is ranked #50 (which I agree with), and I imagine Wyoming should be #49 then. Yes, Wyoming has Yellowstone National Park and breathtaking natural beauty, but it is costly and difficult to reach any of its very small population centers/markets.
Rhode Island (#45), New Hampshire (#40), Maine (#39), Vermont (#29) all seem ranked far too low. They all were docked for "Economy" and "Infrastructure", which makes no sense to me. Honestly the Infrastructure attribute is so wonky on this list. They all seem about 20 slots too low on the list, at least.
Anyway, those are my issues with the list.
Here is my own ranking (versus the CNBC list in parenthesis):
1. North Carolina (0)
2. Georgia (+2)
3. Minnesota (+2)
4. Massachusetts (+11)
5. Colorado (+6)
6. Washington (+1)
7. New York (+13)
8. Pennsylvania (+7)
9. Connecticut (+22)
10. New Jersey (+9)
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