America's Top States For Business 2012

2012 OVERALL RANKINGS



2012 Results

Featured Stories

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    Utah Moved Up Six Spots to Finish Second
    By: CNBC.com

    Utah moved up six spots to finish second in CNBC's sixth annual study,  thanks to high rankings in the categories of workforce, transportation and the cost of doing business.

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    Virginia Drops From First to Third
    By: CNBC.com

    The three-time winner of the study suffered from steep declines in the individual categories of transportation and the cost of doing business. 

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    Categories and Criteria
    By: Scott Cohn

    We score all the states on 51 measures of competitiveness and 10 categories, from the cost of doing business to technology and innovation.

Past Winners

Slideshows

  • For many, the economic recovery won’t be real until there’s solid job creation every month. Though the pace of hiring picked up in 2011-2012, recent months have been disappointing. June payroll data released July 6 were no different. The economy created 80,000 jobs during the month, below economists’ forecasts. Still, in the 12 months between CNBC.com’s 2011 and 2012 Top States for Business, the economy has created 1.8 million jobs — by far the most since the 2006-2007 period. A third of the new
    America's Top States for Job Creation 2012
    By: CNBC.com

    Overall payroll growth remains subpar and disappointing but these states, which include a few surprises, are showing healthy and diverse growth.

  • You won’t get more for your money in these ten states. With the launch of CNBC's sixth annual edition of "America's Top States For Business," we decided to take a look at the cost of a variety of items in the nation's 10 most expensive states. In the CNBC study, states are ranked using a 50-point scale—the lower the score, the higher the cost of living, and vice versa. Interestingly enough, some of the states with the highest cost of living also had some of the highest scores in the quality-of-l
    Most Expensive States to Live in 2012
    By: Paul Toscano

    Cost of living may not be among the top criteria for a business, but it can be a big consideration for employees. Look at the cost of a variety of items in the nation's 10 most expensive states.

  • The best places to do business are also the best places to live. At least that’s how many states market themselves to the public. CNBC’s Top States for Business study found quality of life is among the most frequently mentioned selling points in state economic development campaigns. That’s why Quality of Life is one of the most important categories in our study of America’s Top States for Business, worth 350 out of 2,500 possible points.Sure, quality of life is in the eye of the beholder. Some p
    America’s Best States to Live in 2012
    By: Scott Cohn

    Hawaii’s tropical and beautiful, but some of the nation’s coldest states — including the best one in CNBC’s category – make the top in our study.

  • An environment for innovation is crucial to becoming a top state for business but the right technological infrastructure must also be in place to support and attract businesses. As part of our annual study, America’s Top States for Business, we grade states on several criteria in this important category of Technology & Innovation. States were evaluated on their support for innovation, the number of patents that were issued to their residents, deployment of broadband services and the number of hi
    The Top 10 States For Technology
    By: Cadie Thompson

    As part of our annual study, America’s Top States for Business, we grade states on several criteria in this important category of Technology & Innovation.

  • Last year’s Homes of Governors featured the homes of governors from the East Coast (Charles Edison, former governor of New Jersey) to the West (Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California); from the distant past (South Carolina’s Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence), and one home that had housed 17 South Dakota governors. This year’s edition includes the homes of contemporary governors as well as one well-known figure from the past who designed his own home. We
    Homes of Governors 2012
    By: Colleen Kane

    Curious about where your state Governor lives? On this years’ list, we have homes ranging from mansions to relatively modest.

Top States For Business 2013

Top States For Business 2011