For the third time in the last five years, Virginia was ranked America’s Top State for Business in 2024 by CNBC, which cited the state for having the best public schools in the country. It grabbed the top spot in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, and 2021.
“Congratulations to Virginia on being named America’s Top State for Business in 2024 by CNBC, a record six times achieving that designation. I know that Virginia succeeds because of our shared belief that collaboration and innovation yield great results for our businesses and their employees,” said Fairfax County Economic Development Authority President and CEO Victor Hoskins.
Virginia ranks in the top half or better in each of the study’s 10 categories this year, “a rare feat,” noted CNBC. The state landed in the top 10 in four additional categories: infrastructure (3rd), business friendliness (5th), access to capital (8th) and workforce (9th).
For the first time, CNBC counted infrastructure (including the availability of shovel-ready sites) as the most important component for businesses when deciding on investment and cited the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program, as well as its world-class port, rail, roadway, and air transportation ecosystem as major contributors to the recognition.
CNBC’s annual ranking measures all 50 states on 128 different metrics in 10 key categories of competitiveness. North Carolina ranked second on the list, followed by Texas, Georgia and Florida.
Regarding Virginia’s economic relations with Japan, over $32.5 billion in capital investment has been made by Japanese companies in the last 5 years, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which also reports that Japanese companies employ more than 15,2000 people in the state.
