11. South Dakota

The Mount Rushmore State carves its niche with friendly regulations and low costs. But technology and innovation are rocky.

Published 4:23 PM ET Wed, 24 June 2015 Updated 2:19 PM ET Mon, 13 June 2016 CNBC.com

Category	Score	2015 Rank	2014 Rank
Workforce	200	35	6
Cost of Doing Business	247	5	6
Infrastructure	202	19 (Tie)	31
Economy	232	8 (Tie)	20
Quality of Life	202	17 (Tie)	10
Technology & Innovation	72	44	50
Education	110	23	30
Business Friendliness	130	2	2
Cost of Living	24	35	16
Access to Capital	24	27	26
Overall	1443	11	11

Economic Profile

Governor: Dennis Daugaard, Republican

Population: 853,175

GDP growth: 0.6 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2015): 3.8 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 0 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 0 percent

Gasoline tax: 48 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aa2/stable

Major private employer: Avera Health

Economic profile sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, South Dakota FY 2014 CAFR

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