Here’s How Good Arizona Is For Business

How good is Arizona for business? According to a new study from CNBC published Tuesday, the state is among the top half of all 50 states for business. The Grand Canyon State ranked 20th, tying with South Dakota, on CNBC’s 2018 list of the top states for business.

The study scores all 50 states on 64 metrics across 10 categories, CNBC explains in its methodology. Last year, Arizona ranked 26th in the same studies. Among the categories, Arizona got “A” and “A-” grades in workforce and economy, but an “F” in education, “D+” in the cost of doing business and a “D-” in quality of life.

“Our study is not an opinion survey; we measure actual performance by the states,” the network said of its methodology. CNBC says the study grades each state based on the qualities they tout as good for attracting business. Each category is given a weight based on how much the states cite it as a factor for attracting business; the more a category is cited, the higher the weight, CNBC says. (Read more about the methodology and the sources used in the study.)

Here are the scores and rankings Arizona received for every category (the categories are presented from highest to lowest importance):

Workforce: 285/8
Infrastructure: 226/16
Cost of doing business: 127/39
Economy: 219/10
Quality of life: 126/36
Technology and Innovation: 123/23
Education: 46/48
Business Friendliness: 105/11
Access to Capital: 62/20
Cost of Living: 31/20

Texas claimed the top spot as the best state for business in 2018. The state also bagged the top spots in five of the 10 categories states were graded for. CNBC notes that the state has never finished outside the top five since the rankings were first published.

“The state prides itself on business-friendly regulations, smart spending and low taxes,” CNBC writes. “Texas levies no individual income tax and no corporate tax.”

Washington, the No.1 state in 2017 slipped to No. 2 this year. CNBC said the state had the fastest growing economy in 2017 but weaknesses like high costs and poor infrastructure make it “no match for a resurgent Texas.” Utah, the No. 3 state, has a thriving technology industry and saw the highest job increase in the nation in 2017, according to CNBC.

Below are the states that rounded out the top 10:

Texas
Washington
Utah
Virginia
Colorado
Minnesota
Georgia
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Florida

Read the full CNBC report on the topic here.

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images