CNBC's tenth annual study once again puts all 50 states to the test, measuring them on more than 60 different metrics in ten key categories of competitiveness.

41. Arkansas

Published Tue, Jul 12 20164:40 PM EDTUpdated Mon, Jun 12 20171:50 PM EDT

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Source: George Kavallines

Category	Score	2016 Rank	2015 Rank
Workforce	196	34	12
Cost of Doing Business	238	9	4
Infrastructure	192	21 (Tie)	35 (Tie)
Economy	159	32	16 (Tie)
Quality of Life	68	50	44
Technology & Innovation	65	47	46
Education	88	36	35
Business Friendliness	39	42	37 (Tie)
Cost of Living	72	3	11 (Tie)
Access to Capital	12	39	38
Overall	1129	41	32

Economic Profile

Governor: Asa Hutchinson, Republican

Population: 2,978,204

GDP growth: 1.5 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2016): 3.8 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 6.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6.9 percent

Gasoline tax: 40.20 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aa1, stable

Major private employers: Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart Stores

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, Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence