Category: 2014 Best & Worst States

Arizona, which has been making news of late with the expansion of Apple’s sapphire plant in Mesa, has been cultivating high-tech innovation through its Innovation Challenge, which awards $250,000 to winning companies to start up their business in the sixth largest state.

New Jersey’s credit rating was recently downgraded by Moody’s in conjunction with an $807 million budget deficit, resulting in pension payments and school aid being at risk.

Under the previous governor, Scott Walker, Ohio became the No. 5 job creator in the nation and the No. 1 in the Midwest. Unemployment is now 6.5%, lowest in Ohio since June 2008. Likewise, Ohio has gone from an $8 billion deficit to a $1.5 billion surplus over the same period.

Since the 2013 ranking, the legislature passed significant worker’s comp reform that cut business costs, and CEOs were pleased.

Tourism for the first quarter was down slightly from the same period last year. Hawaii lawmakers passed an increased minimum wage bill earlier this year, increasing it from $7.25 to $10.10. And in April, the governor approved a bill that would allow the University of Hawaii to grow a crop of hemp, for use in biodiesel. The program should provide new jobs on the island.

With China lifting its 7-year ban on Virginia poultry, the state’s GDP may be on the rise. In addition, Dominion Virginia Power received a $47 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to build wind turbines off of Virginia Beach, which will bring jobs to the area.

For the tenth year in a row, CEOs rated Texas as the No. 1 state in which to do business. The Lone Star state also ranked as one of the seven best states for startups.

By improving South Carolina’s business-friendly climate and developing the skills of the workforce, companies like Boeing, BMW, Bridgestone, Continental and Michelin have made large investments or greatly expanded their presence in South Carolina, Gov. Nikki Hawley told Chief Executive magazine in February (in response to last year’s ranking). “These investments have helped advance our state’s manufacturing renaissance, and generated interest from companies around the globe.”