Top States for Business in America 2025: The full rankings

CNBC’s annual study once again puts all 50 states to the test, measuring them on 135 different metrics, the most-ever, in 10 key categories of competitiveness.

To rank America's Top States for Business in 2025, CNBC scored all 50 states on 135 metrics in 10 broad categories of competitiveness. The fundamentals of the study, now in its 19th year, are the same as they have always been, identifying the factors companies consider year after year when making site selection decisions, and that states pitch in their efforts to woo business. Each category is weighted based on how frequently states use them as a selling point in economic development marketing materials, with Economy No. 1 this year.

New in 2025, we have added metrics to gauge the states' risks from a trade war and a shrinking federal budget. We have also enhanced some of our Infrastructure metrics to determine how the states are delivering on companies' power and data demands. We developed our criteria and metrics in consultation with a diverse array of business and policy experts, and the states. Our study is not an opinion survey. We use data from a variety of sources to measure the states' performance. Under our methodology , states can earn a maximum of 2,500 points. The states with the most points are America's Top States for Business.

America's Top States for Business 2025

OVERALL	STATE	ECONOMY	INFRA- STRUCTURE	WORKFORCE	COST OF DOING BUSINESS	BUSINESS FRIENDLINESS	QUALITY OF LIFE	TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION	EDUCATION	ACCESS TO CAPITAL	COST OF LIVING
1	North Carolina	3	11	4	21	4	29	13	6	8	23
2	Texas	2	26	1	5	17	49	2	24	2	39
3	Florida	1	16	2	22	23	22	12	29	3	48
4	Virginia	14	2	14	31	7	8	8	1	10	21
5	Ohio	26	1	31	2	25	17	6	27	7	7
6	Michigan	18	15	13	4	14	14	17	41	13	9
7	Georgia	9	4	3	18	17	45	22	15	16	30
8	Tennessee	21	9	10	10	3	50	24	18	28	18
9	Indiana	19	6	33	3	5	48	17	46	22	2
10	Minnesota	28	5	30	34	21	4	14	12	18	33
11	Colorado	21	11	7	38	22	12	9	31	12	47
12	Arizona	13	3	6	32	17	39	20	47	25	39
13	Illinois	44	8	19	19	38	23	6	3	5	34
14	Washington	6	26	5	48	41	14	4	33	14	39
15	Nebraska	19	30	17	15	8	8	32	29	41	24
16	Utah	8	9	9	28	10	46	27	44	20	31
17	Pennsylvania	16	17	37	25	40	23	9	12	9	12
18	South Carolina	10	21	12	28	28	39	21	14	30	16
19	Alabama	23	28	16	19	13	44	22	16	40	6
20	Massachusetts	15	35	23	49	42	8	4	2	5	43
21	Wisconsin	28	18	27	13	32	38	26	35	20	12
22	California	12	25	20	40	48	32	1	31	1	50
23	New York	5	7	44	45	50	18	3	8	3	45
24	Iowa	39	19	41	11	24	16	29	38	37	9
25	Kentucky	34	36	25	9	16	33	31	26	35	20
25	North Dakota	43	37	46	17	1	7	37	25	37	4
27	Idaho	7	38	38	25	10	19	25	49	50	26
28	Connecticut	38	33	8	44	35	5	19	5	16	37
29	Delaware	4	31	11	41	43	27	30	45	19	9
30	New Jersey	31	21	14	38	49	3	16	7	11	37
31	Wyoming	11	42	35	27	12	29	44	16	36	7
32	Maryland	26	23	21	46	37	27	9	11	14	43
33	Kansas	48	20	34	14	8	37	34	8	22	2
34	Missouri	37	23	48	6	29	39	28	8	26	4
35	South Dakota	36	31	47	16	2	29	49	35	28	16
36	New Hampshire	23	47	26	37	6	11	44	3	44	26
37	Oklahoma	32	34	42	1	20	42	42	43	33	18
38	Vermont	35	40	40	35	25	1	42	20	44	25
39	Oregon	41	14	23	43	47	19	14	35	24	45
40	West Virginia	42	43	43	24	15	25	44	18	41	1
41	Arkansas	30	41	36	11	31	43	41	40	26	12
42	Nevada	17	13	18	36	33	36	49	50	30	34
43	Maine	33	50	38	30	45	2	36	22	33	21
44	New Mexico	46	29	31	23	39	33	35	38	46	26
45	Mississippi	49	44	49	7	34	21	40	20	41	12
46	Louisiana	47	46	44	7	35	46	38	22	32	39
46	Rhode Island	45	39	21	46	46	13	33	33	37	36
48	Montana	23	45	50	32	29	35	38	27	46	31
49	Hawaii	39	48	29	50	44	6	48	42	48	49
50	Alaska	50	49	28	41	27	25	47	48	49	26