1. Texas

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Oil continues to represent a core industry in Texas. 

Category	Score	2018 Rank	2017 Rank	Grade
Workforce	286	7	1	A
Infrastructure	288	1	1	A+
Cost of Doing Business	216	18	15	A-
Economy	263	1	25	A+
Quality of Life	142	31	37 (Tie)	D
Technology & Innovation	157	9	11	A-
Education	80	37	34 (Tie)	D
Business Friendliness	84	21	24	C+
Access to Capital	95	3	3	A+
Cost of Living	40	11	9	A-
Overall	1651	1	4	-

Economic Profile

Governor: Greg Abbott, Republican

Population: 28,304,596

GDP growth (Q4 2017): 5.2 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2018): 4.1 percent

Top corporate tax rate: None (levies a gross receipts tax)

Top individual income tax rate: None

Gasoline tax: 20 cents/gallon

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

Major private employers: H-E-B Super Market Chain, Exxon Mobil

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