4. Nebraska

The Cornhusker State offers one of the nation’s friendliest regulatory climates. Its economy is strong, and so is its quality of life. But the state trails in innovation and access to capital.

Published 4:19 PM ET Tue, 24 June 2014 Updated 3:26 PM ET Wed, 2 July 2014 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	319	10	10
Workforce	174	16	23
Quality of Life	219	8 (Tie)	4
Infrastructure & Transportation	205	18	16
Economy	263	11 (Tie)	4
Education	90	19	30
Technology & Innovation	95	40	36
Business Friendliness	174	3	3
Cost of Living	30	21	5
Access to Capital	8	35 (Tie)	39
Overall	1577	4	4

Economic Profile

Governor: Dave Heineman, Republican

Population: 3,850,568

GDP growth: 3.0 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 3.6 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 7.81 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6.84 percent

Gasoline tax: 46 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: No Governmental Obligations/stable

Major private employer: Werner Enterprises

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

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