America's Top States For Business '09

Business Friendliness - 2009

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

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