Americas Top States For Business 2010

Workforce - 2010

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 & Infrastructure

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

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