CNBC ranks Ohio as 10th-best state for business
(The Center Square) – Ohio is the 10th-best state in which to do business, according to CNBC’s 2021 ranking, holding where it finished in 2019.
CNBC did not provide a ranking in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ohio’s business and community leaders can take pride in being a Top 10 State for Business overall, but we can never be satisfied until we are a Top 10 State for Business in every category,” said J.P. Nauseef, president and CEO of JobsOhio, the state’s private economic development corporation.
The report ranked states in 10 categories related to doing business, and Ohio landed in the top 10 in the cost of doing business and access to capital. It ranked in the top 20 in infrastructure, economy, technology and innovation and cost of living. It ranked 21st in education.
Compared with 2019, Ohio improved its cost of doing business from eighth to second in the country, and its ranking in economy jumped from 30th to 15th.
Ohio’s worst category was business friendliness, in which the state ranked third to last and received an F grade. It also was 38th in workforce and 34th in life, health and inclusion, receiving grades of D- and D+.
Nauseef pointed to state investments in the recently passed budget he believes will mean even more for business across the state. Ohio plans to invest $250 million in broadband access, and the individual income tax rate was reduced from 4.8% to 4%.
“We have news for CNBC, Ohio is coming. We’re coming with new innovation districts, industrial investments, broadband infrastructure, inclusion grants and workforce readiness initiatives that are making Ohio an even better place to live, build businesses and careers.” Nauseef said.
The top 10 states for business, according to CNBC, were Virginia, North Carolina, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington and Ohio.
The bottom 10 were Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Vermont and Kentucky.
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