26. Missouri

Show Me a state with a worse quality of life? We could find only three. But business costs are low and regulation is friendly.

Published 4:26 PM ET Wed, 24 June 2015 Updated 2:36 PM ET Mon, 13 June 2016 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2015 Rank	2014 Rank
Workforce	196	38 (Tie)	44
Cost of Doing Business	230	11	11
Infrastructure	203	18	13
Economy	160	33 (Tie)	15
Quality of Life	80	47	48
Technology & Innovation	138	23	24
Education	113	20 (Tie)	20
Business Friendliness	93	15	29
Cost of Living	51	17	18
Access to Capital	27	24	39
Overall	1291	26	23

Economic Profile

Governor: Jay Nixon, Democrat

Population: 6,063,589

GDP growth: 0.9 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2015): 5.8 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 6.25 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6 percent

Gasoline tax: 35 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa/stable

Major private employer: Wal-Mart, The Boeing Company

Economic profile sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Missouri FY 2014 CAFR

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