Chief Executive Magazine Announces Results of Its Influential Annual CEO Ranking of Best and Worst States for Business

Leaders favor states with fewer regulatory encumbrances and report that most remedies dangled by politicians only make things worse

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Chief Executive Group

May 09, 2016, 12:16 ET

GREENWICH, Conn., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chief Executive magazine released its annual Best & Worst States for Business survey and CEOs again rated Texas as the No. 1 state in which to do business. No. 2-ranked Florida continued to steadily edge up in the qualitative measures. North Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana also made the top five. Ohio ranked as the biggest gainer, rising from No. 22 in 2015 to No. 10 in this year's survey.

The Best & Worst States for Business survey captures the sentiments of CEOs on a range of important issues. The rankings are crucial, as CEO sentiment drives investments in offices, factories and other facilities that bring jobs to a region.

In addition to the overall state rankings, Chief Executive's 2016 Best & Worst States for Business survey also presents individual category rankings, including quality of life, tax policy, workforce quality and best communication of business incentives, as well as rankings by region.

	Top 5 States

	State	CEO Comments
1.	Texas	"...has their act together; government workers go out of their way to [help] businesses comply and follow the laws."
2.	Florida	"The state has aggressively moved ahead on key issues like rebuilding ports without waiting on federal support."
3.	North Carolina	"...strong technical and university support...also great quality of life aspects for work and home life."
4.	Tennessee	"...has stable leadership and a 'can do' attitude toward recruiting and retaining major business."
5.	Indiana	"...consistently ranked in the top 3 in offering ... competitive incentives for business [and] packages that improve the skill sets to hire a qualified, work-ready workforce."

	Best of …
	Best state for quality of life	Idaho
	Best state for workforce quality	Utah
	State with lowest taxation	Wyoming
	Best communication of business incentives	Arkansas
	State that advanced the most since 2015	Ohio (+12)

"This has been a particularly volatile year," said Marshall Cooper, CEO of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net. "Business leaders are challenged with everything from the growing talent shortage and skills gap to digital transformation to discerning how the presidential election will impact their business." This year's rankings, Cooper said, "show that CEOs support states that understand and offer solutions to those challenges."

"Business-friendly states work hard to maintain a competitive environment," added J.P. Donlon, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net. "Many governors have gotten openly proactive about trying to steal business away from other states, and this new 'war' game has every economic development team on alert."

Review the entire 2016 Best & Worst States for Business survey,
including individual state rankings, CEO comments, methodology and more at http://chiefexecutive.net/2016-best-and-worst-states-for-business/

About Chief Executive
Chief Executive Group produces Chief Executive magazine (published since 1977), ChiefExecutive.net, and conferences and roundtables that enable top corporate officers to discuss key subjects and share their experiences within a community of peers. The Group also facilitates the annual "Chief Executive of the Year," a prestigious honor bestowed upon an outstanding corporate leader, nominated and selected by a group of peers.

Contact:
J.P. Donlon
Chief Executive magazine
203-930-2704
Email

SOURCE Chief Executive Group