48. West Virginia

The cost of living here is among the lowest in the country, but getting over the Mountain State’s rugged business regulations and gaining access to capital can be challenging.

Published 4:21 PM ET Tue, 24 June 2014 Updated 3:14 PM ET Wed, 2 July 2014 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	278	18 (Tie)	19
Workforce	102	44 (Tie)	50
Quality of Life	108	39	36
Infrastructure & Transportation	135	40	37
Economy	170	39	27
Education	72	28 (Tie)	42
Technology & Innovation	44	48	49
Business Friendliness	13	50	50
Cost of Living	46	5	24
Access to Capital	1	49 (Tie)	39
Overall	969	48	48

Economic Profile

Governor: Earl Ray Tomblin, Democrat

Population: 1,854,304

GDP growth: 5.1 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 6 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 6.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6.5 percent

Gasoline tax: 54 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aa1/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, West Virginia FY 2013 CAFR

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