The annual 50-state report takes you on a guided tour of economic development laws, leaders, policies, indicators and projects from the past year. Use it as you look to update your location portfolio.In addition to containing updated legislative, demographic, economic and education data points, this edition includes the fourth annual installment of Rankings That Matter.
This year this six-point scoreboard features the following:
 | Rank in the Tax Foundation's 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index (Oct. 2018) |
 | Rank in 2017 Higher Education R&D Expenditure (Total in $000s in parentheses) |
 | Rank in percent improvement in ACT National Career Readiness Certificates earned by working-age adults between Dec. 2017 and Dec. 2018 (total number and percent improvement shown below graph) |
| Rank in Workers' Compensation Premium Rate state rankings by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services' IT and Research Division, October 2018 | |
 | Rank by Lowest Industrial Electric Power Cost (¢/kWh, EIA) |
 | Rank in Fiscal Condition Index (Mercatus Center at George Mason University, July 2018) |
Mix and match these data points according to your own organization's site selection priorities, and let the facts guide you toward the best location choice.
The State of the States report was compiled, edited and designed by Mark Arend, Adam Bruns, Gary Daughters, Karen Medernach, Daniel Boyer and Richard Nenoff.
Sources:
Standard & Poor's (state credit ratings as of December 2018)
- ESRI (2018 state populations, population growths, median household incomes, and median ages)
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Energy Information Administration
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- National Bureau of Economic Research
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Conway Analytics' Conway Projects Database
- state chambers of commerce, economic development agencies and business/industry associations
- press reports
- governors' and corporate press rooms
- law firms
- Ballotpedia.org
- legislative research services.
