By Jeff St. Clair, WKSU
This year’s survey of best and worst places for business by Chief Executive Magazine ranked Ohio No. 10, putting the state in the Top Ten for the second time since 2016. Texas was No. 1, followed by Florida.
Business leaders gave the Buckeye State above average marks in the three categories of taxation and regulation, workforce quality, and favorable living environment.
The CEOs praised Ohio’s near-record investments in infrastructure and road repairs in recent years and acknowledged the shift toward technology and finance as major drivers of the state economy.
“Ohio has been moving up in the rankings pretty consistently over the past five-plus years and is now number 10 in the Top10, which is a great tribute to the hard work of enlightened leaders within the state," said Chief Executive Magazine CEO Wayne Cooper.
Not all surveys give Ohio a gold star. The conservative Washington, D.C.-based think-tank Tax Foundation gave Ohio an ‘F’ for its reliance on the corporate Commercial Activities Tax and personal income taxes to pay its bills.