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.
Top States for Business

42. Vermont

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Category Score 2015 Rank 2014 Rank
Workforce1514750
Cost of Doing Business1044241
Infrastructure1114449
Economy16033 (Tie)23
Quality of Life28222
Technology & Innovation1172837
Education1453 (Tie)2
Business Friendliness434231
Cost of Living154140
Access to Capital348 (Tie)31
Overall11314242

Economic Profile

Governor: Peter Shumlin, Democrat

Population: 626,562

GDP growth: 0.6 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2015): 3.6 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 8.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 8.95 percent

Gasoline tax: 48 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa/stable

Major private employer: Fletcher Allen Health Care

Economic profile sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Times Argus

FULL LIST: 2015 TOP STATES FOR BUSINESS

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