Read entire CNBC article here.
To rank America’s Top States for Business in 2026, CNBC scored all 50 states on 138 metrics in 10 broad categories of competitiveness. The fundamentals of the study, now in its 20th year, remain the same: identifying the factors companies consider when making site selection decisions, and where states are focusing their economic development efforts to win jobs and business. Each category is weighted based on how frequently states use them as a selling point.
The Top States categories have been largely consistent since our first study in 2007, but we re-weight our categories annually to reflect market dynamics. The biggest change in 2026: Infrastructure is our top-weighted category, as companies pursue strategic locations close to transport hubs, top utilities, access to fresh water, and abundant energy to power things like advanced manufacturing and data centers. And they want it all without red tape. For the first time in 2026, we are factoring ease of permitting into our rankings.
Economy, last year’s top category as President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda took shape, slips to second place, followed by Workforce. A national skills gap remains, but the job market has cooled and AI has boosted productivity.
Under our methodology, states can earn a maximum of 2,500 points. The states with the most points are America’s Top States for Business.
My Take: Well, we slipped a little in the ratings. Do you know why? It’s not great news, but not the end of the world and I think the fix is clear. Infrastructure development is the key to improving our rating. We all know that steps have been taken here in Mecklenburg County as we’ve already established a funding mechanism specifically dedicated to county-wide transportation improvements.
Having said that, we still have some challenges that could keep NC’s score troubling. The I-77 expansion is still in limbo, although if there is not some sort of resolution in the next three months, Charlotte and other area local governments could be on the hook to repay the $60 million spent in engineering on the project. The Data Center stakeholder group, which had delays, got off to a bit of a rough start. But that should resolve shortly. Unfortunately, the Interbasin Transfer (IBT) moratorium has been extended until August of 2028 which means we need to work on finding a resolution sooner rather than later or Charlotte Water will no longer be able to serve certain parts of our region.
These are all big things, but we’ve tackled big things before and we’ll do it again. Oh, one last thing. How in the world does Ohio beat North Carolina in quality of life?
This is a reminder to attend the Development Services Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) meeting this Wednesday, July 15th. Why? The conclusions reached by the Customer Service Consultant, hired by the City of Charlotte, will be shared. It’s imperative that the development community take this chance to have their voice heard. PLEASE. Come with your process and regulatory issues in hand. Here’s a link to the June 17, 2026 DSTAC Minutes so you may familiarize yourself with current topics of discussion.
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