14. Nebraska

Getty Images

A group of young cows in Nebraska grass pasture.

Category	Score	2018 Rank	2017 Rank	Grade
Workforce	238	22	20	B
Infrastructure	197	29	26 (Tie)	C+
Cost of Doing Business	255	2	13	A+
Economy	128	37	27	D+
Quality of Life	208	11	10 (Tie)	B
Technology & Innovation	104	31	33	C-
Education	149	3	5 (Tie)	A
Business Friendliness	103	12	6	B
Access to Capital	31	33	41 (Tie)	D
Cost of Living	36	15	13	B+
Overall	1449	14	13	-

Economic Profile

Governor: Pete Ricketts, Republican

Population: 1,920,076

GDP growth (Q4 2017): 0.9 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2018): 2.8 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 7.81 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6.84 percent

Gasoline tax: 27.90 cents/gallon

Bond rating (Moody's/S&P): Aa1, stable/AAA, stable

Major private employers: Wal-Mart, Berkshire Hathaway

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 cent/gallon federal tax), Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Overall Rankings 2018