The results of the Chief Executive 2015 Best and Worst States for Business 11th annual survey clearly show that CEOs favor states that foster growth through progressive business development programs, low taxes and a quality living environment.
The magazine prints its survey every year. CEOs rank the top states according to three categories: taxes and regulations, qualify of the workforce and living environment.Texas has long been a favorite of CEOs, with the state topping the list for 11 straight years.
The numbers for Texas? Since December of
2007, the state has created 1.2 million net jobs. That’s especially
impressive when you consider that 700,000 net jobs were created in the
other 49 states combined during the same period.
The Midwest didn’t fare too well in the survey. California ranked
last in the survey, but Illinois came in at a poor 48th. According to
Chief Executive Magazine, Illinois ranked low because of its high tax
rate and tight regulatory environment.The Midwest state that ranked the highest was Indiana, coming in sixth place on the survey. Wisconsin came in 12th place, Iowa 13th and Ohio 22nd. Nebraska came in 25th place, while Missouri notched a 26th-place finish, with Kansas and Kentucky right behind in 27th and 28th place.
Iowa's Development Indicator was up significantly in the survey because of their recent property tax cut and parade of high tech investments.
CEO Comment "Iowa has an emerging tech, creative class, and young professional environment in several of its metro areas.”
