42: Vermont

Although unions are strong and workers scarce, the Green Mountain State offers exactly the quality of life its nickname implies, as well as one of the best education systems.

Published 4:18 PM ET Tue, 24 June 2014 Updated 3:15 PM ET Wed, 2 July 2014 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Cost of Doing Business	159	41	22
Workforce	84	50	49
Quality of Life	256	2	2
Infrastructure & Transportation	84	49	48
Economy	231	23	8
Education	122	2	11
Technology & Innovation	97	37 (Tie)	40
Business Friendliness	85	31	31
Cost of Living	11	40	41
Access to Capital	10	31 (Tie)	31
Overall	1139	42	32

Economic Profile

Governor: Peter Shumlin, Democrat

Population: 626,630

GDP growth: 1.9 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2014): 3.3 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 8.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 8.95 percent

Gasoline tax: 50 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa/stable

Major private employer: Fletcher Allen Health Care

Economic profile sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Times Argus

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