50. Alaska

Getty Images

A full moon helps illuminate the Alaskan pipeline under the faint glow of the Aurora Borealis near Milne Point, Alaska.

Category	Score	2018 Rank	2017 Rank	Grade
Workforce	215	33	25	C+
Infrastructure	192	34	35	C
Cost of Doing Business	83	47	42	F
Economy	39	50	48	F
Quality of Life	158	25	22	D+
Technology & Innovation	60	45	41 (Tie)	F
Education	56	45	42	F
Business Friendliness	102	14	20 (Tie)	B
Access to Capital	6	49	49	F
Cost of Living	5	46	46	F
Overall	916	50	47	-

Economic Profile

Governor: Bill Walker, Independent

Population: 739,795

GDP growth (Q4 2017): 3.1 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2018): 7.2 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 9.4 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 0 percent

Gasoline tax: 8.95 cents/gallon

Bond rating: (Moody's/S&P): Aa3, stable/AA, stable

Major private employers: Providence Health & Services, General Communication

Economic profile sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute (excluding 18.40 cents/gallon federal tax), Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Overall Rankings 2018