To rank America’s Top States for Business in 2026, CNBC scored all 50 states on 138 metrics in 10 broad categories of competitiveness. The fundamentals of the study, now in its 20th year, remain the same: identifying the factors companies consider when making site selection decisions, and where states are focusing their economic development efforts to win jobs and business. Each category is weighted based on how frequently states use them as a selling point.
The Top States categories have been largely consistent since our first study in 2007, but we re-weight our categories annually to reflect market dynamics. The biggest change in 2026: Infrastructure is our top-weighted category, as companies pursue strategic locations close to transport hubs, top utilities, access to fresh water, and abundant energy to power things like advanced manufacturing and data centers. And they want it all without red tape. For the first time in 2026, we are factoring ease of permitting into our rankings.
Economy, last year’s top category as President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda took shape, slips to second place, followed by Workforce. A national skills gap remains, but the job market has cooled and AI has boosted productivity.
Under our methodology, states can earn a maximum of 2,500 points. The states with the most points are America’s Top States for Business.
