CNBC ranks best, worst and so-so states for doing business

"North Carolina is the No. 1 state for doing business while Mississippi is ranked last, according to a recent study by CNBC," Jean Dimeo reports for Route Fifty. "North Carolina rose to first on the America’s Top States for Doing Business list from No. 2 last year because of its 'solid finances,' CNBC said. The state’s credit rating is 'pristine'; plus, its economic growth (6.7%) and job growth (3.6%) last year were among the strongest in the nation, the media organization added."

Mississippi is the lowest-ranked state. "While the state offers the lowest cost of living and the lowest wage costs, Mississippi’s workforce is among the nation’s least educated. It is also the least productive state in terms of economic output per job, CNBC said," Dimeo reports.

States were scored on 88 metrics in categories such as workforce, infrastructure, business-friendliness, health and inclusion, and quality of life. "The workforce category carried the most weight in the 2022 rankings, CNBC said, because so many employers are having a tough time retaining and recruiting workers," Dimeo reports. "Rebuilding the domestic supply chain made infrastructure the second most prominent category while worries about inflation put the cost of doing business into the third spot."