America's Top States For Business '09

Workforce - 2009

Many states point with great pride to the quality and availability of their workers, as well as government-sponsored programs to train them. We rated states based on the education level of their workforce, as well as the numbers of available workers. We also considered union membership. While organized labor contends that a union workforce is a quality workforce, that argument, more often than not, doesn’t resonate with business. We also looked at the relative success of each state’s worker training programs in placing their participants in jobs.

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

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