14. Tennessee

Businesses that choose the Volunteer State are rewarded with a stellar workforce and an excellent infrastructure. But a high crime rate and poor health care hurt quality of life.

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

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	303	13	14
Workforce	204	6 (Tie)	5
Quality of Life	63	50	49
Infrastructure & Transportation	245	4	2
Economy	248	14	9
Education	54	39 (Tie)	45
Technology & Innovation	135	28	25
Business Friendliness	134	18	18
Cost of Living	42	9	2
Access to Capital	9	33 (Tie)	27
Overall	1437	14	13

Economic Profile

Governor: Bill Haslam, Republican

Population: 6,495,978

GDP growth: 0.8 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 6.3 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 6.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6 percent on dividends and interest income

Gasoline tax: 40 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa/stable

Major private employer: Covenant Health

Economic profile sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, East Tenessee Economic Development Agency

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