The state of Washington ranks #1 in CNBC’s 11th annual America’s Top States for Business ranking. Here are just a few reasons why:
- Its economy grew 3.7% in 2016, (2 1/2 times the national rate)
- It is home to the nation’s largest concentration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workers
- Only California ranked above Washington in the number of patents filed last year
- Its economy is both new and old: Amazon and Costco, Boeing and Expedia
For the past 11 years, CNBC has been scoring states to see how they rank in competitiveness. In its study, they score all 50 states on more than 60 measures of competitiveness developed with input from a broad and diverse array of business and policy experts, official government sources, the CNBC Global CFO Council, YPO and the states themselves.
CNBC’s 2017 ranking of top states for business
|
State |
Overall |
Workforce |
Infra-structure |
Cost of Doing Business |
Economy |
Quality of Life |
Tech and Innovation |
Education |
Business Friendly |
Access to Capital |
Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
5 |
32 |
32 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
19 |
31 |
8 |
37 |
|
|
2 |
3 |
4 |
26 |
1 |
28 |
23 |
33 |
19 |
9 |
14 |
|
|
3 |
16 |
10 |
36 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
33 |
16 |
31 |
|
|
4 |
1 |
1 |
15 |
25 |
37 |
11 |
34 |
24 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
5 |
7 |
20 |
9 |
15 |
28 |
6 |
32 |
8 |
9 |
19 |
|
|
6 |
4 |
28 |
38 |
13 |
14 |
7 |
12 |
8 |
12 |
32 |
|
|
7 |
2 |
25 |
35 |
20 |
17 |
16 |
13 |
7 |
13 |
28 |
|
|
8 |
18 |
9 |
24 |
4 |
20 |
18 |
34 |
16 |
18 |
17 |
|
|
9 |
19 |
2 |
6 |
5 |
42 |
30 |
37 |
4 |
23 |
7 |
|
|
10 |
6 |
41 |
45 |
14 |
10 |
1 |
1 |
20 |
7 |
47 |
|
|
11 |
13 |
19 |
24 |
9 |
33 |
9 |
23 |
25 |
17 |
3 |
|
|
12 |
22 |
7 |
30 |
2 |
24 |
28 |
40 |
17 |
4 |
27 |
|
|
13 |
20 |
26 |
13 |
27 |
10 |
33 |
5 |
6 |
41 |
13 |
|
|
14 |
35 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
45 |
26 |
29 |
8 |
24 |
2 |
|
|
15 |
42 |
23 |
10 |
21 |
9 |
25 |
9 |
11 |
30 |
15 |
|
|
16 |
31 |
5 |
22 |
17 |
40 |
15 |
15 |
37 |
14 |
18 |
|
|
17 |
30 |
20 |
28 |
10 |
12 |
14 |
27 |
41 |
22 |
39 |
|
|
18 |
14 |
49 |
39 |
22 |
6 |
21 |
8 |
1 |
32 |
30 |
|
|
19 |
12 |
17 |
29 |
40 |
4 |
39 |
13 |
4 |
47 |
26 |
|
|
20 |
33 |
32 |
11 |
8 |
18 |
36 |
44 |
3 |
41 |
6 |
|
|
21 |
28 |
26 |
22 |
28 |
24 |
17 |
15 |
27 |
25 |
24 |
|
|
22 |
43 |
11 |
17 |
18 |
46 |
22 |
15 |
23 |
20 |
11 |
|
|
23 |
21 |
38 |
34 |
34 |
30 |
10 |
10 |
28 |
5 |
34 |
|
|
24 |
39 |
37 |
14 |
22 |
14 |
41 |
25 |
2 |
34 |
34 |
|
|
25 |
11 |
43 |
48 |
7 |
26 |
4 |
25 |
33 |
15 |
44 |
|
|
26 |
7 |
14 |
37 |
19 |
31 |
24 |
49 |
14 |
18 |
25 |
|
|
27 |
17 |
14 |
26 |
43 |
16 |
40 |
11 |
13 |
50 |
15 |
|
|
28 |
10 |
22 |
49 |
22 |
21 |
2 |
28 |
50 |
1 |
48 |
|
|
29 |
23 |
30 |
16 |
15 |
36 |
35 |
40 |
29 |
28 |
29 |
|
|
30 |
44 |
30 |
11 |
35 |
8 |
37 |
22 |
26 |
35 |
30 |
|
|
31 |
24 |
24 |
30 |
45 |
27 |
12 |
24 |
47 |
5 |
21 |
|
|
32 |
26 |
46 |
45 |
31 |
13 |
18 |
4 |
42 |
9 |
41 |
|
|
33 |
7 |
47 |
43 |
41 |
23 |
13 |
3 |
32 |
20 |
45 |
|
|
34 |
33 |
12 |
21 |
46 |
35 |
31 |
18 |
15 |
36 |
8 |
|
|
35 |
47 |
6 |
3 |
29 |
41 |
38 |
30 |
44 |
27 |
10 |
|
|
35 |
45 |
29 |
41 |
37 |
2 |
29 |
7 |
30 |
46 |
43 |
|
|
37 |
36 |
18 |
7 |
26 |
50 |
31 |
47 |
33 |
29 |
12 |
|
|
38 |
39 |
45 |
47 |
33 |
19 |
8 |
5 |
45 |
2 |
49 |
|
|
39 |
41 |
8 |
18 |
10 |
34 |
50 |
50 |
18 |
26 |
36 |
|
|
40 |
15 |
36 |
40 |
39 |
37 |
18 |
36 |
22 |
38 |
33 |
|
|
41 |
37 |
12 |
7 |
32 |
47 |
48 |
38 |
39 |
32 |
4 |
|
|
42 |
32 |
16 |
19 |
44 |
42 |
27 |
45 |
45 |
38 |
22 |
|
|
43 |
38 |
32 |
20 |
42 |
48 |
44 |
43 |
12 |
36 |
5 |
|
|
44 |
28 |
39 |
4 |
49 |
49 |
47 |
48 |
40 |
31 |
20 |
|
|
45 |
27 |
50 |
43 |
29 |
31 |
34 |
20 |
37 |
44 |
42 |
|
|
46 |
50 |
48 |
32 |
38 |
7 |
41 |
20 |
36 |
40 |
38 |
|
|
47 |
25 |
35 |
42 |
48 |
22 |
41 |
42 |
20 |
49 |
46 |
|
|
48 |
46 |
41 |
1 |
47 |
44 |
46 |
46 |
43 |
44 |
1 |
|
|
49 |
48 |
40 |
50 |
35 |
1 |
45 |
30 |
47 |
41 |
50 |
|
|
50 |
49 |
44 |
4 |
50 |
39 |
49 |
39 |
49 |
47 |
22 |