Survey: Southern States Best For Business

This week, Chief Executive Magazine released a poll of CEOs asking them to rank the best and worst states to do business. Southern states received high marks. Seven of the top ten best states in which to do business are in the South. Notable rankings include Texas as the overall best state for business, with North Carolina and Virginia following closely at 3rd and 4th respectively. Alabama also received high marks, ranking as the 12th best state for business. The growing populations and business-friendly tax codes of these southern states are cited as major reasons for their appeal.

Overall, the message CEOs are sending is that over-taxed and over-regulated states are not conducive to the health of their businesses,” said Ed Kopko, CEO and publisher, Chief Executive Group.“This is the message they’ve been communicating since our poll started in 2005. However, in states like California and New York, where we are increasingly facing a shrinking population, the message seems to have fallen on deaf ears, as CEOs continue to be extremely frustrated with the business-unfriendly practices in these states.”

As the South moves into the globalized economy, the challenge for Southern Progressives is to try to institute reforms that take advantage of the South’s business-friendly reputation without curbing the qualities that make the region attractive in the first place.