23. Missouri

Take a good look at the tax structure in the Show Me State, which offers favorable business costs and a well-developed infrastructure. But bad air quality is hurting the state’s quality of life.

Published 4:18 PM ET Tue, 24 June 2014 Updated 3:21 PM ET Wed, 2 July 2014 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	316	11	19
Workforce	102	44 (Tie)	48
Quality of Life	73	48	47
Infrastructure & Transportation	223	13	5
Economy	246	15 (Tie)	17
Education	89	20	20
Technology & Innovation	151	24	22
Business Friendliness	93	29 (Tie)	29
Cost of Living	33	18 (Tie)	11
Access to Capital	6	39 (Tie)	23
Overall	1332	23	26

Economic Profile

Governor: Jay Nixon, Democrat

Population: 6,044,171

GDP growth: 0.8 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 6.6 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 6.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6 percent

Gasoline tax: 36 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa/stable

Major private employer: Wal-Mart

Economic profile sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Missouri FY 2013 CAFR

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