Chief executive officers from 650 companies ranked Illinois among the worst states for business conditions in the U.S.
The list is the result of an annual “Best and Worst States Survey” conducted by Chief Executive magazine.
The surveyed executives evaluated states on criteria such as regulations, tax policy, quality of living, infrastructure and workforce quality.
For the eighth consecutive year, Texas was ranked best in the survey, followed by Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana.
The five worst states on the survey list are California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan. California was ranked worst of all states because of “its hostility to business, high state taxes and overly stringent regulations, which is driving investment, companies and jobs to other states,” according to the survey authors.
Illinois was ranked 48 out of 50 states for the second year in a row.
Here is the list from best to worst:
Texas
North Carolina
Florida
Tennessee
Georgia
Indiana
Virginia
South Carolina
Utah
Nevada
Oklahoma
Colorado
Arizona
Wyoming
South Dakota
Delaware
Kentucky
New Hampshire
Idaho
Nebraska
North Dakota
Iowa
Missouri
Wisconsin
Kansas
Alabama
Louisiana
Montana
Minnesota
Arkansas
Alaska
New Mexico
Oregon
Washington
Rhode Island
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Pennsylvania
Vermont
Ohio
West Virginia
Hawaii
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
Illinois
New York
California