Area Development
There are only two “West Coast” states in the Top States for Doing Business: Utah at No. 13 and California at No. 22.

Utah was able to do this by being tied for No. 7 for its competitive labor market, ranking No. 9 for its overall cost of doing business, and tied for No. 10 in speed of permitting. California was tied for No.1 in access to capital funding, although it was not in the top 10 in any other category. California has three of the largest ports in the country and significant advanced technology manufacturing and services. It seems that because the economic base is so strong, the incentives are not so prevalent. So at least from this perspective, California suffers in terms of cost of doing business, business incentives, etc.

{{RELATEDLINKS}} Three of the mainstays in the top five for most categories in which the states were ranked claim significant ports: Georgia (Savannah), Texas (Houston), Tennessee (Memphis), South Carolina (Charleston), and North Carolina (Wilmington). Access to fast-growing world trade is clearly helpful, but public-sector support is needed to capitalize on that.

Additionally, the small states in the upper northeastern region of the U.S. scored extremely poor in nearly every category (as did Alaska). I believe this is at least moderately correlated with smaller economic bases and smaller populations relative to the rest of the nation. However, there is European demand for forest products that could help those state economies grow.

TOP STATES FOR DOING BUSINESS 2020

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Tennessee
  3. 3. South Carolina
  4. 4. Texas
  5. 5. North Carolina
  6. 6. Alabama
  7. 7. Indiana
  8. 8. Virginia
  9. 9. Ohio
  10. 10. Florida
  11. 11. Mississippi
  12. 12. Louisiana
  13. 13. Utah
  14. 14. Arizona
  15. 15. Kentucky
  16. 16. Michigan
  17. 17. Missouri
  18. 18. Oklahoma
  19. 19. New York
  20. 20. Illinois

Individual Categories

Overall Cost of Doing Business

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Texas
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4. South Carolina
  5. 5T. Indiana
  6. 5T. North Carolina
  7. 7T. Alabama
  8. 7T. Mississippi
  9. 9. Utah
  10. 10. Virginia

Business Incentives Programs

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. South Carolina
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4T. Alabama
  5. 4T. Mississippi
  6. 6. Texas
  7. 7. Virginia
  8. 8T. Ohio
  9. 8T. Louisiana
  10. 8T. North Carolina

Access to Capital & Project Funding

  1. 1T. New York
  2. 1T. California
  3. 3. Texas
  4. 4. Massachusetts
  5. 5T. Georgia
  6. 5T. Illinois
  7. 7T. North Carolina
  8. 7T. Florida
  9. 9. Ohio
  10. 10. Colorado

Competitive Labor Environment

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. North Carolina
  3. 3T. Tennessee
  4. 3T. Texas
  5. 5. Indiana
  6. 6. Alabama
  7. 7T. South Carolina
  8. 7T. Utah
  9. 9. Virginia
  10. 10. Ohio

Workforce Training Programs

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Louisiana
  3. 3. Alabama
  4. 4T. Virginia
  5. 4T. South Carolina
  6. 6T. Tennessee
  7. 6T. North Carolina
  8. 8. Ohio
  9. 9T. Kentucky
  10. 9T. Indiana

Energy Availability & Costs

  1. 1T. Georgia
  2. 1T. Tennessee
  3. 3. North Carolina
  4. 4. Texas
  5. 5.
  6. 6T. Alabama
  7. 6T. South Carolina
  8. 8T. Indiana
  9. 8T. Mississippi
  10. 8T. Louisiana
  11. 8T. Kentucky

Logistics & Infrastructure

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Texas
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4. Indiana
  5. 5. Ohio
  6. 6T. South Carolina
  7. 6T. Virginia
  8. 8T. Florida
  9. 8T. Illinois
  10. 10. Missouri

Site-Readiness Programs

  1. 1. Tennessee
  2. 2. Georgia
  3. 3. North Carolina
  4. 4. South Carolina
  5. 5. Indiana
  6. 6. Alabama
  7. 7T. Virginia
  8. 7T. Ohio
  9. 7T. Michigan
  10. 10. Texas

Available Real Estate

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Texas
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4. North Carolina
  5. 5T. Alabama
  6. 5T. Indiana
  7. 5T. Ohio
  8. 8. South Carolina
  9. 9T. Florida
  10. 9T. Mississippi

Cooperative & Responsive State Government

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. South Carolina
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4. North Carolina
  5. 5. Indiana
  6. 6T. Alabama
  7. 6T. Virginia
  8. 8. Mississippi
  9. 9T. Texas
  10. 9T. Arizona

Corporate Tax Structure

  1. 1. Florida
  2. 2. Texas
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4. Georgia
  5. 5. Nevada
  6. 6. South Dakota
  7. 7. North Carolina
  8. 8. South Carolina
  9. 9T. Indiana
  10. 9T. Ohio

Favorable Regulatory Environment

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2T. Tennessee
  3. 2T. South Carolina
  4. 4. Texas
  5. 5. Alabama
  6. 6. Indiana
  7. 7. North Carolina
  8. 8. Mississippi
  9. 9T. Virginia
  10. 9T. Louisiana

Speed of Project Permitting

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Alabama
  3. 3. South Carolina
  4. 4. Tennessee
  5. 5. Mississippi
  6. 6. Louisiana
  7. 7T. Texas
  8. 7T. Indiana
  9. 9. North Carolina
  10. 10T. Virginia
  11. 10T. Utah
  12. 10T. Arizona
  13. 10T. Missouri