America's Top States for Business 2008 - Cost of Living Rankings

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Cost of Living - 2008

The cost of living helps drive the cost of doing business. From housing to food and energy, wages go further when the cost of living is low.

Here are the ten categories ranked in our study:

- Cost of Doing Business
- Workforce
- Economy
- Education
- Quality of Life
- Technology & Innovation
- Transportation
- Cost of Living
- Business Friendliness
- Access to Capital

Overall	State	Cost of Business	Workforce	Economy	Education	Quality of Life	Technology & Innovation	Transportation	Cost of Living	Business Friendliness	Access to Capital
21	Tennessee	13	5	37	42	43	25	7	1	9	29
7	South Dakota	1	19	14	24	21	50	25	2	4	44
1	Texas	27	12	1	30	22	4	1	3	20	3
28	Oklahoma	6	30	3	45	41	35	34	4	23	35
24	Missouri	8	26	43	19	39	26	10	5	23	26
32	Arkansas	3	9	33	33	47	43	36	6	35	47
22	Nebraska	19	28	28	21	12	36	29	7	28	49
11	Kansas	24	11	21	13	33	31	8	8	11	30
8	Georgia	16	3	31	32	42	16	2	9	14	14
46	Mississippi	17	15	46	50	48	46	31	10	44	37
42	Alabama	19	22	23	47	45	39	43	11	39	31
13	Indiana	6	27	37	19	31	23	4	11	3	28
9	Iowa	2	25	29	15	17	31	39	13	11	42
4	Idaho	5	7	5	48	26	27	24	14	33	34
29	South Carolina	9	2	39	37	49	31	4	15	28	25
30(tie)	Ohio	30	46	40	12	19	17	2	16	42	20
16	North Dakota	4	23	18	23	19	47	20	17	14	46
35	Kentucky	14	20	45	38	40	38	6	18	28	22
43	Louisiana	28	28	14	40	50	40	25	19	41	33
6	North Carolina	22	3	23	27	38	18	15	20	10	10
47	West Virginia	15	48	46	36	32	49	42	21	50	36
37	Wisconsin	36	47	36	9	25	22	13	22	28	27
30(tie)	Illinois	44	44	14	25	16	7	12	23	35	12
3	Utah	10	10	3	46	6	21	32	24	6	19
40	Michigan	34	39	48	28	23	8	21	25	39	24
38	New Mexico	21	32	8	44	44	36	22	26	46	23
2	Virginia	11	8	17	11	28	14	13	27	2	13
14	Wyoming	12	17	6	14	17	48	33	28	22	47
23	Pennsylvania	38	43	32	6	12	9	16	29	28	6
5	Colorado	25	13	11	35	7	13	35	30	5	11
10	Minnesota	29	31	27	9	5	11	8	31	16	15
33	Montana	26	36	10	16	30	45	29	31	44	45
41	Delaware	31	23	18	26	46	28	47	33	1	41
17	Florida	42	1	20	39	23	9	18	34	16	9
12	Arizona	23	6	8	43	36	19	25	35	6	18
18(tie)	Washington	35	37	11	17	9	6	22	36	34	4
44	Maine	43	45	44	8	14	41	40	37	23	40
45	Nevada	37	16	34	49	34	29	18	38	23	32
20	Oregon	18	14	35	29	26	20	11	39	27	16
27	New Hampshire	32	33	41	7	2	24	45	40	6	21
39	Vermont	40	34	42	3	10	31	46	41	16	38
15	Massachusetts	41	34	25	1	15	4	36	42	13	2
48	Rhode Island	46	18	49	17	29	30	48	43	47	39
34	Connecticut	47	38	30	5	11	15	44	44	16	17
36	Maryland	33	41	25	22	37	11	40	45	20	7
26	New York	50	49	2	1	3	2	25	46	42	5
50	Alaska	38	42	50	41	35	42	50	47	35	49
18(tie)	New Jersey	45	40	21	4	1	2	36	48	35	8
25	California	48	21	7	31	4	1	16	49	48	1
49	Hawaii	49	50	13	34	8	43	49	50	49	43