#4 North Carolina
ECONOMIC PROFILE
Governor: Beverly Perdue (D)
Population: 9,656,401
GDP (per capita): $39,879
Number of S&P companies: 14
Top corporate tax rate: 6.90 percent
Top individual tax rate: 7.75 percent
Gasoline taxes/fees: 39.2 cents
Bond Rating/Outlook: Aaa/Stable
SAT scores (average): 1475/2400
Degree Granting Institutions (colleges/universities): 139
Sources: Census Bureau (2011), Standard & Poor's (2012), Tax Foundation (2012), American Petroleum Institute (2012), Bureau Labor Statistics (2011), National Center For Education Statistics (2011), Moody's (2012), CNBC