Texas Is America’s Top State for Business 2012
Published: Tuesday, 10 Jul 2012 | 4:30 PM ET
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By: Scott Cohn
Senior Correspondent, CNBC
The Lone Star State makes a triumphant return as America’s Top State for Business—its third time at the top of our rankings.
“Listen, there is a reason that Caterpillar [CAT 80.27 -2.87 (-3.45%) ] moved their hydraulics manufacturing and their engine manufacturing to the state of Texas,” said Gov. Rick Perry in November during the CNBC Republican presidential debate.
We can attest to that.
In our sixth annual study, Texas racked up an impressive 1,604 points out of a possible 2,500, with top-10 finishes in six of our 10 categories of competitiveness. Texas has never finished below second place since we began the study in 2007.
Each year, we score all 50 states on the criteria they use to sell themselves. This year’s analysis is the most comprehensive yet, using 51 metrics developed with the help of the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness, as well as input from the states themselves.