America's Top States for Business 2011 - Business Friendliness Rankings

Business Friendliness - 2011

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 & Infrastructure

     - Technology & Innovation
     - Education
     - Business Friendliness
     - Access to Capital
     - Cost of Living

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

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