Not bad, even during these challenging times. Virginia has been named the most business-friendly state – four times running by Forbes.com! Washington, Utah, Colorado and North Carolina round out the top five.
In late July, CNBC named Virginia its “Top State for Business” based on a wide range of factors, from workforce quality to broadband infrastructure, and reaffirms that “Virginia has what it takes to emerge from an economy turned upside down.” Virginia received CNBC’s top ranking in 2007 and was ranked second in 2008.
According to CNBC, Virginia has the 7th best economy nationally in 2009, up from 17th in 2008 and also cited Virginia’s reasonable sales, personal income and corporate tax rates as key contributors to Virginia’s ranking as America’s Best State for Business, 2009.
Texas, last year’s “Best State for Business,” was ranked second, followed by Colorado, Iowa and Utah.
This year Virginia has also been ranked “No. 1 Pro-Business State” by Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc.; the second “Best State for Business” by Directorship magazine; and the second “Best State to Start a Business” by U.S. News and World Report.
In recent years, Virginia also has been recognized as the top-performing state government in America (Governing Magazine 2008) and the state where “a child is most likely to have a successful life” (Education Week 2007).
In light of recent reports that Billions more will need to be cut from the Commonwealth’s budget when the General Assembly convenes in January 2010, let’s hope Virginia can maintain its status.