America's Top States For Business '09

Quality of Life - 2009

The best places to do business are also the best places to live. We scored the states on several factors, including local attractions, the crime rate, and health care.

Here are the ten categories ranked in our study:

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

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

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