Virginia is 12th best state for doing business; Maryland is 36th
In CNBCês annual ranking of the top states for business, Virginia dropped from No. 8 to No. 12 this year. Maryland, always closer to the bottom, edged down slightly, from 35th to 36th.
Virginiaês top score was in business friendliness, third among the 50 states. Its lowest scores were for cost of doing business (37th) and economy (36th), mainly because job creation has slowed in recent years, says CNBC. Maryland scored 2nd in workforce and 6th for education, but near the bottom for cost of doing business, infrastructure, cost of living and business friendliness.
The top states this year are Minnesota, Texas and Utah. Maine came in last. CNBC looked at 60 factors to measure business competitiveness.
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