17. Wisconsin

The Badger State has a strong infrastructure and top-notch education system, yet its workforce is not growing fast enough to meet demand.

Published 4:22 PM ET Tue, 24 June 2014 Updated 3:22 PM ET Wed, 2 July 2014 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	237	26 (Tie)	28
Workforce	117	40	40
Quality of Life	159	24	19
Infrastructure & Transportation	226	10 (Tie)	17
Economy	233	22	34
Education	98	10 (Tie)	13
Technology & Innovation	182	20	19
Business Friendliness	103	25	24
Cost of Living	28	23	28
Access to Capital	7	37 (Tie)	21
Overall	1390	17	22

Economic Profile

Governor: Scott Walker, Republican

Population: 5,742,713

GDP growth: 1.7 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 5.7 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 7.9 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 7.65 percent

Gasoline tax: 51 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aa2/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, Wisconsin FY 2013 CAFR

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