Florida is No. 2 as the “best state to do business.” Gov. Rick Scott probably won’t like that, but Florida did improve from last year.
The state rose one spot from 2011 to take the No. 2 ranking in Chief Executive magazine’s annual Best & Worst States survey of chief executives, released Wednesday.
Texas was named the No. 1 state in which to do business, for the 8th year in a row.
With Florida ranks No. 2, North Carolina slipped to #3. Tennessee remained at #4 while Indiana climbed a spot to capture the #5 rank.
For the 2012 survey, 650 CEOs from across the country evaluated the states on a broad range of issues, including regulations, tax policies, workforce quality, educational resources, quality of living and infrastructure. The survey was conducted from Jan. 24 to Feb. 26.
CEOs also named the worst states to do business as California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan.
CEOs surveyed said California’s poor ranking is the result of its hostility to business, high state taxes and overly stringent regulations, which is driving investment, companies and jobs to other states.
“This survey shows that states that create policies and incentives are rewarded with investment, jobs and greater overall economic activity,” said Marshall Cooper, CEO of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net.