27. Illinois

The Land of Lincoln is also the land of transportation, with a robust infrastructure. But a battered balance sheet and burdensome regulations are hurting the state’s economy.

Published 4:17 PM ET Tue, 24 June 2014 Updated 3:20 PM ET Wed, 2 July 2014 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	161	40	44
Workforce	134	32 (Tie)	29
Quality of Life	134	30 (Tie)	30
Infrastructure & Transportation	249	3	5
Economy	180	36	45
Education	92	15 (Tie)	22
Technology & Innovation	245	5 (Tie)	5
Business Friendliness	60	41	36
Cost of Living	22	29	23
Access to Capital	19	14	25
Overall	1296	27	37

Economic Profile

Governor: Pat Quinn, Democrat

Population: 12,882,135

GDP growth: 0.9 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 7.9 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 9.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 5 percent

Gasoline tax: 58 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: A3/negative

Major private employer: Advocate Health Care

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

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