CNBC's Top States For Business 2009—Most-Improved States - Top States For Business 2009

Runway Angels
The superbowl of fashion shows, models walk down the runway at the 2009 Victoria's Secret Show.
Smartphone Guide
Here's a need-to-know guide to nine devices, based on features, price, network and platform.
Wines for the Holidays
Not quite sure what wine to pair with Turkey or Creme Brulee? Our experts do.

FEATURED QUIZZES

How Well Do You Know Your Bird?
Let's talk turkey. Test your turkey knowledge and perhaps pick up a bit of trivia to trot out at your holiday meal.
A Healthier & Wealthier You
Take the following quiz and find out how much you know about the impact of obesity on the health of the U.S. economy.
The Billionaire BFF's
Philanthropists. Bridge partners. Hockey players. Which responses are based on facts from Buffett's and Gates' real lives?

SPECIAL REPORTS

Winterizing Your Portfolio
If 2009 was the winter of our discontent, will 2010 be a winter wonderland for investors? A lot depends on the recovery—or lack thereof.
Investor's Guide to Real Estate
Some even say the long-awaited recovery is here. Regardless, buyers and sellers alike can profit from our guide.
Alternative Investing
Stocks and bonds? Sure. But it's a big world out there for investors.

CNBC ON DIGG

CNBC's Top States For Business 2009—Most-Improved States

By: CNBC.com | 23 Jul 2009 | 02:27 PM ET

Text Size

Iowa, Massachusetts and Nebraska.

All three can make a good case for being the most-improved state in 2009. They also cut their 2008 ranking more or less in half.

Nebraska moved the most spaces, improving to 11, (vs. 22 a year ago.)

Massachusetts cracked the top ten, finishing No. 8(15 in 2008).

Iowa had the best showing in the overall rankings, 4, (8 last year).

Given the change in our criteria, including the total number of possible points, however, it is hard to determine a clear winner in this unofficial category.

What’s more, though all of them improved in some of the ten categories, they slipped in others.

Iowa finished No. 1 in the key Cost of Doing Business category worth 450 points (2/2008), while neither Nebraska or Massachusetts made the top ten. The Hawkeye State also was 4^th in Economy (29/2008) Iowa just missed the top ten in Business Friendliness (11/11) and Education (14/15).

Massachusetts’ best showing was Education (No. 1, as was the case in 2008), scoring 159 of a possible 175 points. It also scored high in Access To Capital (2/2), but the category carries only a maximum of 50 points, Quality of Life (6/15) and Technology and Innovation (5/4).

Nebraska cracked the top ten in two categories—Economy (7/28) and Business Friendliness (6/28) and just missed in two others—Cost of Living (11/7) and Cost of Doing Business (12/19).

Tools: