Posted by Leonard Steinberg on July 10th, 2013

The WALL STREET JOURNAL just posted its rankings for the top states for doing business in the USA, and New York did not fare that well, mostly because of the exorbitant costs for doing business here and….our workforce. New York was ranked # 35 out of the 50 states, with South Dakota, Texas, North Dakota and Nebraska leading the charge. New York did rank at the very top for technology and innovation, education, and access to capital. New York rents, real estate and general cost of living are on the highest side domestically, yet for a world center, they are on the lower side.

The WSJ scored all 50 states on 51 measures of competitiveness developed with input from business groups including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness. States received points based on their rankings in each metric. Then, they separated those metrics into ten broad categories, weighting the categories based on how frequently they are cited in state economic development marketing materials. That way, the study ranks the states based on the criteria they use to sell themselves.