America's Top States for Business 2025: The Runners-Up Revealed

CNBC's Top States for Business Methodology

• 🎯 The study ranks states based on 10 categories of competitiveness and 135 metrics, totaling 2,500 possible points.
• 💡 This marks the 19th year of CNBC's comprehensive analysis to determine America's top states for business.

State Rankings: From Top 5 Down

• 5️⃣ Ohio enters the top five for the first time, boasting America's best infrastructure and the second lowest cost of doing business, though it faces challenges with skilled worker availability.
• 4️⃣ Virginia, last year's top state, remains a business powerhouse with excellent education and infrastructure, but faces economic headwinds and budget cuts.
• 3️⃣ Florida secures the top spot for economy for the third consecutive year and ranks second for workforce, despite high cost of living and ongoing insurance challenges.

Runner-Up: Texas

• 🥈 Texas is named the runner-up, excelling in workforce, economy, technology, and innovation, with strong access to capital.
• ⚠️ However, Texas faces significant drawbacks in quality of life, ranking 49th due to issues with high crime, healthcare, and legal protections.

Next Steps in the Ranking

• 🏆 The full reveal of America's number one state for business will be presented in the next hour.
• 🔗 Further details and the complete state rankings can be found at topstates.cnbc.com.