To rank America’s Top States for Business in 2025, CNBC scored all 50 states on 135 metrics in 10 broad categories of competitiveness. The fundamentals of the study, now in its 19th year, are the same as they have always been, identifying the factors companies consider year after year when making site selection decisions, and that states pitch in their efforts to woo business. Each category is weighted based on how frequently states use them as a selling point in economic development marketing materials, with Economy No. 1 this year.
New in 2025, we have added metrics to gauge the states’ risks from a trade war and a shrinking federal budget. We have also enhanced some of our Infrastructure metrics to determine how the states are delivering on companies’ power and data demands. We developed our criteria and metrics in consultation with a diverse array of business and policy experts, and the states. Our study is not an opinion survey. We use data from a variety of sources to measure the states’ performance. 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.
