America's Top States for Business in 2019

To rank CNBC's 2019 America's Top States for Business, we put all 50 states through a rigorous test and graded them based on more than 60 measures of competitiveness in 10 broad categories. Each category is weighted according to how frequently states use them as a selling point in economic development marketing materials. That way, our study ranks the states based on the attributes they use to sell themselves. CNBC's criteria was developed with guidance from a diverse array of business and policy experts and official government sources, along with input from the states themselves. And our metrics are based on publicly available data from a variety of sources. As in years past, some states tied in several categories. Learn more about our categories and methodology here.

Full 2019 Top States coverage

State	OVERALL	Workforce	Economy	Infra-structure	Cost of Doing Business	Quality of Life	Education	Technology and Innovation	Business Friendliness	Access to Capital	Cost of Living
Virginia	1	1	16	13	35	17	1	17	3	15	32
Texas	2	4	4	8	19	37	39	10	17	3	12
North Carolina	3	7	1	17	21	35	21	9	17	6	19
Utah	4	18	3	17	18	9	20	21	13	19	25
Washington	5	3	5	39	32	5	11	2	35	9	38
Georgia	6	11	15	5	28	25	23	16	16	10	11
Minnesota	7	13	23	9	39	3	3	7	28	17	31
Nebraska	8	26	9	22	5	15	6	33	10	41	17
Colorado	9	8	21	35	37	7	17	7	11	11	34
Ohio	10	17	30	4	8	34	11	13	32	13	15
Indiana	11	29	17	1	4	44	32	30	4	21	9
Florida	12	15	10	12	29	24	39	20	12	4	30
Tennessee	13	32	5	5	17	48	28	23	7	23	6
Massachusetts	14	5	18	48	47	10	1	3	14	6	47
Wisconsin	15	20	20	24	20	26	5	19	26	25	23
Iowa	16	34	13	32	10	13	17	26	24	32	13
North Dakota	17	24	31	21	25	4	9	42	5	47	29
Idaho	18	42	2	28	12	21	47	37	6	38	20
Kansas	19	21	32	3	23	35	21	31	8	28	8
Arizona	20	2	12	13	41	37	47	23	9	18	24
South Dakota	21	47	8	37	2	21	27	47	2	45	27
Oregon	22	19	7	22	31	16	36	12	43	23	45
Missouri	23	38	24	7	8	43	14	22	27	22	4
Michigan	24	23	24	33	27	31	43	6	22	16	5
New Hampshire	25	8	34	45	40	5	13	29	1	35	37
Wyoming	26	35	27	15	15	12	15	49	24	48	10
New York	27	29	14	44	42	13	7	4	49	2	48
Pennsylvania	28	31	39	24	30	32	9	13	29	6	28
Nevada	29	48	11	11	15	28	45	44	17	27	36
Illinois	30	12	45	16	34	33	33	11	40	5	22
Maryland	31	6	35	41	46	27	23	5	31	14	46
California	32	10	19	33	50	17	30	1	50	1	49
Montana	33	37	40	29	11	7	34	39	23	40	33
South Carolina	34	28	22	30	24	41	29	32	35	26	26
Connecticut	35	15	43	43	43	20	8	18	21	20	43
New Jersey	36	14	40	39	45	11	4	15	45	12	41
Alabama	37	35	27	10	22	49	37	34	37	30	6
Delaware	38	24	24	31	38	30	35	23	33	35	35
Kentucky	39	40	46	2	1	40	31	36	45	29	13
Vermont	40	50	44	24	36	2	15	27	34	45	40
New Mexico	41	21	27	24	26	44	45	37	44	35	15
Arkansas	42	39	36	20	3	50	41	44	37	33	3
Oklahoma	43	49	40	17	13	46	50	46	15	30	2
Maine	44	45	37	47	32	19	19	35	29	42	39
West Virginia	45	44	33	35	6	39	42	50	48	48	21
Louisiana	46	41	49	42	13	47	37	42	39	33	18
Alaska	47	27	38	46	48	23	49	41	20	50	44
Mississippi	48	42	50	38	6	42	44	48	47	42	1
Hawaii	49	46	47	49	49	1	26	40	42	44	50
Rhode Island	50	32	48	50	44	28	25	27	40	39	41