2007

America's Top States for Business 2007: The full rankings

Published Fri, May 9 20252:37 PM EDT

We scored all 50 states—using publicly available data—on 40 different measures of competitiveness. States received points based on their rankings in each metric. Then, we separated those metrics into the ten broad categories, with input from business groups including the National Association of Manufacturers. We weighted the categories based on how frequently each is cited in state economic development marketing materials.

America's Top States for Business 2007

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