Washington is the 33rd Best State for Business 2014

Previous State: Alaska Next State: Minnesota

No. 33 Washington

Taxations & Regulations

Workforce Quality

Living Environment

Key Metrics
State GDP 
  • % Growth ’12-’13: 2.7
  • % Growth ’11-’12 v. Nat’l Avg. (2.5%): 1.1

Unemployment

  • Unemployment Rate Dec. 2013 %: 6.6
  • Comparison with Nat’l Rate (6.70%): -0.1

Domestic Migration

  • Domestic Net Migration 2013: 17,027
  • Rank: 7

State Government

  • State Debt per Capita Fiscal Year ’13 ($): 4,213
  • State & Local Gov’t Employees per 10k Residents: 527.3

State-Local Tax Burden

  • Rate (%): 9.3%
  • Compared to Nat’l Avg. (9.9%): -0.57%
Key Companies
  • Costco
  • Microsoft
  • Amazon.com
  • Starbucks
  • Weyerhauser
Development Trend Indicator: Positive
Strong job growth defies nation’s highest minimum wage at $9.32 an hour.


Based on CEO Survey by ChiefExecutive.net

Sources:
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Labor Statistics
NewGeography.com
The Tax Foundation

J.P. Donlon

J.P. Donlon is Editor Emeritus of Chief Executive magazine.

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J.P. Donlon

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