America's Top States For Business

Business Friendliness - 2008

Regulation and litigation are the bane of business. Sure, some of each is inevitable. But we graded the states on the perceived “friendliness” of their legal and regulatory frameworks to business.

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

Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
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