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Ohio Ranks #1 in America’s Top States for Business in 2026

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Ohio State has been ranked as number 1 state in the CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business in 2026. Other states ranked among the 50 states include North Carolina as second, Virginia as third, Texas as fourth, and Minnesota as fifth.

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.

America’s Top States for Business 2026

Overall State Infra- structure Economy Workforce Quality of Life Cost of Doing Business Technolgy & Innovation Business Friendliness Access to Capital Education Cost of Living
1 Ohio 1 9 35 18 1 10 16 9 23 9
2 North Carolina 13 1 3 34 20 8 8 5 12 35
3 Virginia 2 23 10 7 26 6 11 10 5 15
4 Texas 12 2 1 49 5 3 23 2 32 30
5 Minnesota 7 8 27 4 31 14 16 21 10 22
6 Michigan 9 24 21 15 4 17 27 13 29 11
7 Georgia 5 17 9 46 11 15 21 8 13 35
8 Florida 32 11 2 30 15 10 33 4 29 48
9 Tennessee 6 11 7 50 9 20 7 15 45 15
10 Indiana 4 27 32 48 2 16 10 20 25 6
11 Washington 16 5 6 12 47 4 40 11 37 41
12 Illinois 3 29 31 22 23 12 44 12 7 41
13 Pennsylvania 11 21 39 17 17 5 42 7 17 11
14 Arizona 8 22 4 36 35 25 13 18 43 33
15 Massachusetts 24 16 26 10 49 8 27 6 1 39
16 Utah 28 13 5 45 25 26 5 22 45 26
17 California 26 3 17 29 46 1 47 1 20 50
18 New York 13 4 50 19 41 2 49 3 7 41
19 Iowa 15 37 38 20 8 23 14 39 23 6
20 Wyoming 37 14 36 24 29 36 2 35 2 5
21 Alabama 10 31 14 43 20 22 24 27 41 3
22 Wisconsin 24 10 29 40 11 30 26 26 13 15
23 Connecticut 29 34 25 5 40 19 21 23 4 44
23 South Carolina 27 6 8 36 31 28 38 31 19 37
25 Colorado 32 28 10 14 38 6 29 17 37 49
26 Nebraska 36 26 18 10 17 45 9 37 20 29
27 Kentucky 17 37 22 30 10 29 32 31 25 14
28 Arkansas 23 20 13 41 17 36 31 27 36 19
29 North Dakota 34 42 46 9 22 42 1 45 11 2
30 Idaho 45 14 16 28 28 34 12 40 47 22
31 New Jersey 41 31 19 3 38 20 50 13 2 39
32 Delaware 41 7 12 21 41 27 46 25 43 15
33 Nevada 20 19 22 39 34 38 15 23 49 37
34 New Hampshire 43 43 15 7 36 45 6 41 9 26
35 Maine 47 39 33 2 23 38 24 43 5 28
36 Maryland 17 49 30 12 44 13 33 15 16 30
37 Kansas 31 46 39 36 15 32 3 34 13 6
38 Missouri 21 29 49 44 5 24 38 19 37 10
39 Oklahoma 21 41 42 41 3 30 18 33 48 19
40 Vermont 37 35 33 1 37 48 18 42 22 21
41 New Mexico 29 33 20 32 29 40 35 37 32 33
42 Oregon 17 39 24 22 43 18 43 27 34 45
43 Mississippi 34 36 48 26 13 43 36 35 41 11
44 South Dakota 44 45 47 33 14 50 3 46 28 3
45 Montana 48 18 36 35 33 35 40 46 18 30
46 West Virginia 40 48 44 24 27 44 30 49 25 1
47 Louisiana 39 47 45 46 7 32 48 27 29 22
48 Rhode Island 46 50 28 16 44 40 37 48 40 45
49 Alaska 49 44 41 26 47 47 20 50 50 22
50 Hawaii 50 24 43 6 50 49 45 44 34 47
In response to the ranking Steve Stivers, President & CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce said “CNBC’s 2026 ranking is a testament to years of thoughtful leadership and collaboration across our state. We thank Gov. Mike DeWine, the Ohio General Assembly, JobsOhio and our many local and regional partners for their commitment to creating an environment where businesses can thrive.
But rankings aren’t permanent — they’re earned every year. States that stop improving eventually fall behind.
The Ohio Chamber’s 2026 Blueprint for Ohio’s Economic Future outlines six key policy priorities to keep Ohio competitive and achieve sustained 3% annual economic growth. That kind of growth means more jobs, bigger paychecks, stronger communities and greater opportunity for every Ohioan.
If Ohio wants to remain the best state for business, we can’t coast. We must continue to make smart, pro-growth policy decisions every day.”
CNBC is the recognized global leader in business and financial news, reaching half a billion people every month across all platforms. With headquarters in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, CNBC delivers real-time coverage of financial markets, breaking news, exclusive interviews, expert analysis on stocks and trading, and in-depth reports on the forces shaping the global economy.
Also, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said credited his office’s easy, efficient business filing process for helping Ohio earn the top spot in CNBC’s 2026 America’s Top States for Business rankings.“Job creators are running to Ohio to escape the unsustainable tax burdens they’re facing in other states that are hellbent on embracing socialist policies,” said Secretary LaRose. “We’ve also seen an incredible surge in small business innovation, where young talent is willing to stay here and new talent is coming in to pursue their dreams of a start-up. Our office is the front door to these new ventures, so this top ranking is a great recognition of the momentum that’s been building for several years.”

Ohio’s strong business climate continues to drive entrepreneurship across the state. Through the first half of 2026, 107,871 new businesses have filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, putting the state on pace for a historic year of business creation. A new business can be formed for as little as $99 in Ohio, and most filings are processed within one business day, reinforcing the state’s reputation as one of the most accessible and cost-effective places in America to do business.

According to CNBC’s new annual ranking of states, Ohio now ranks No. 1 in the nation for its overall pro-business strengths, marking the first time the Buckeye State has held the top spot since CNBC launched the study in 2007 and the first time a Midwestern state has led the rankings since Minnesota in 2015. Ohio climbed from No. 5 in 2025 to No. 1 in 2026, as Secretary LaRose continues to work to simplify the process of starting a business here.

“Ohio’s rise to the top did not happen by accident,” LaRose added. “It reflects years of work to cut red tape, strengthen our infrastructure, keep costs low, and support the small businesses and entrepreneurs who power our communities.”

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New Americans Magazine
Deba Uwadiae is an international journalist, author, global analyst, consultant, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the New Americans Magazine Group, Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association, OCLA.
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