While looking at the overall rankings, I am surprised that Virginia did not make top five [based on] the strength of Virginia’s public education and the fact that Virginia was the top-ranked state for business by CNBC in 2021 (third in 2022). But the cost of living in many parts of the state has made it harder to attract and retain workers.
Being a Texan, I love to see my home state in top five but thought it should have been top three. The workforce is overflowing in Texas with skilled and diversified labor. Also, Texas has a high quality of life, which attracts so many new residents and businesses. [I believe] the reason Texas is not in the top 1 or 2 (even with all the new businesses the state has attracted) is low ratings for healthcare and inclusion [ranking near the very bottom in the CNBC report].
Lastly, I’m impressed by the continued growth of South Carolina. Their high-quality work force is strengthened through state workforce training systems like readySC. The state provides strong incentives programs along with a friendly business environment, which makes it a force to be reckoned with on the East Coast.
TOP STATES FOR DOING BUSINESS 2022
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Tennessee
- 3. South Carolina
- 4. Texas
- 5. North Carolina
- 6. Alabama
- 7. Virginia
- 8. Ohio
- 9. Indiana
- 10. Mississippi
- 11. Florida
- 12. Louisiana
- 13. Arizona
- 14. Michigan
- 15. New York
- 16T. California
- 16T. Illinois
- 18. Kentucky
- 19T. Oklahoma
- 19T. Utah
Individual Categories
Workforce Development Programs
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Virginia
- 3. South Carolina
- 4T. Alabama
- 4T. Louisiana
- 6. Tennessee
- 7. North Carolina
- 8T. Arizona
- 8T. Michigan
- 8T. Texas
Overall Cost of Doing Business
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Tennessee
- 3. South Carolina
- 4. Alabama
- 5. North Carolina
- 6. Texas
- 7T. Indiana
- 7T. Mississippi
- 9T. Arizona
- 9T. Florida
- 9T. Ohio
Site-Readiness Programs
- 1. Tennessee
- 2. Georgia
- 3. South Carolina
- 4T. North Carolina
- 4T. Ohio
- 6. Virginia
- 7T. Indiana
- 7T. Texas
- 9. New York
- 10. Alabama
Cooperative & Responsive State Government
- 1. Georgia
- 2T. North Carolina
- 2T. Tennessee
- 4. South Carolina
- 5. Ohio
- 6. Virginia
- 7. Louisiana
- 8T. Alabama
- 8T. Arizona
- 8T. Arkansas
- 8T. Michigan
- 8T. Mississippi
- 8T. Texas
Favorable Regulatory Environment
- 1. South Carolina
- 2. Georgia
- 3T. Alabama
- 3T. Tennessee
- 5. North Carolina
- 6. Indiana
- 7. Texas
- 8. Florida
- 9T. Arizona
- 9T. Virginia
- 10T. Louisiana
- 10T. Mississippi
Corporate Tax Structure
- 1. Texas
- 2. Tennessee
- 3. Florida
- 4. North Carolina
- 5. Nevada
- 6T. Georgia
- 6T. South Dakota
- 8T. Alabama
- 8T. Indiana
- 8T. Utah
Business Incentives Programs
- 1. Georgia
- 2. South Carolina
- 3. Tennessee
- 4. Ohio
- 5. Alabama
- 6. Indiana
- 7. Virginia
- 8T. Mississippi
- 8T. North Carolina
- 10T. Kentucky
- 10T. Louisiana
- 10T. Texas
Competitive Labor Environment
- 1. Georgia
- 2T. Texas
- 2T. Tennessee
- 4. North Carolina
- 5. South Carolina
- 6T. Arizona
- 6T. Michigan
- 8T. Ohio
- 8T. Virginia
- 10. Alabama
Logistics & Infrastructure
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Virginia
- 3T. Ohio
- 3T. Texas
- 5. Indiana
- 6. South Carolina
- 7. Tennessee
- 8. Illinois
- 9. North Carolina
- 10. Florida
Access to Capital & Funding
- 1. California
- 2. Texas
- 3. New York
- 4T. Massachusetts
- 4T. Virginia
- 6. Illinois
- 7. Georgia
- 8T. Michigan
- 8T. North Carolina
- 10T. Colorado
- 10T. Tennessee
Available Real Estate
- 1. Georgia
- 2T. South Carolina
- 2T. Texas
- 4. Tennessee
- 5. Ohio
- 6. North Carolina
- 7T. Alabama
- 7T. Indiana
- 9. Michigan
- 10T. California
- 10T. Florida
- 10T. Illinois
Energy Availability & Costs
- 1T. Georgia
- 1T. Tennessee
- 3T. Alabama
- 3T. North Carolina
- 5. Mississippi
- 6T. Louisiana
- 6T. South Carolina
- 8T. Iowa
- 8T. New York
- 8T. Ohio
- 8T. Oklahoma
- 8T. Texas
- 8T. Washington
Speed of Project Permitting
- 1. Alabama
- 2T. Georgia
- 2T. South Carolina
- 4. Tennessee
- 5T. Mississippi
- 5T. Texas
- 7T. Arizona
- 7T. Indiana
- 7T. Louisiana
- 10. Virginia
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Categories:
- Overall Cost of Doing Business
- Business Incentive Programs
- Access to Capital & Funding
- Competitive Labor Market
- Workforce Development Programs
- Energy Availability & Costs
- Logistics & Infrastructure
- Available Real Estate
- Cooperative & Responsive State Government
- Corporate Tax Structure
- Site-Readiness Programs
- Favorable Regulatory Environment
- Speed of Project Permitting