Rising to its highest position ever on the ranking, Louisiana has jumped two spots to No. 7 on Chief Executive magazine’s annual ranking of the “Best & Worst States for Business,” released today.
Since 2008, Louisiana Economic Development says no other state has climbed as much as Louisiana in the rankings, rising 40 spots over the past seven years.
“Louisiana is proof that a state can transform itself, provided it has the will and understanding of what attracts business investment, from a place that was once considered a backwater to a state that CEOs now regard as dynamic and business-friendly,” says Chief Executive Editor-in-Chief J.P. Donlon of Louisiana’s performance.
The top two states for business—Texas and Florida, respectively—are unchanged from last year’s rankings. Rounding out the top 10 states are North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Arizona and South Carolina. The worst five states for business are all unchanged from a year ago: California, at No. 50, preceded by New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
“This latest rating is a further confirmation that our efforts to make economic development our top priority have paid off,” says Gov. Bobby Jindal in a prepared release. “We have created a business environment where companies want to invest and create jobs for our citizens. As more business leaders look to our state for their next investment, we are assured that Louisiana’s future is bright.”
See the complete rankings. LED has more details on Louisiana’s economic performance since 2008 and further comments from Jindal.
