Michigan claims largest single-year leap in Chief Executive's Best & Worst States for Business survey

Chief Executive's annual "Best and Worst States for Business" survey, now in its 16th year, is a collection of opinions gathered from CEOs on which states are the most -- and least -- business friendly in the U.S.

In 2020, Michigan experienced the biggest single-year leap in the history of the the survey, jumping 19 spots from its No. 32 slot in 2019, to No. 13 in 2020. The shift reflects positive opinions of CEOs on “taxes,” “workforce,” “low [incidence of] onerous regulation,” “friendly government,” “access to labor” and “business conditions.”

CEOs that ranked Michigan as their second-, third- or fourth- best state cited “ease of travel in and out of the state,” “right to work,” and the fact that “manufacturing is actively growing," as additional positives.

2020 Best & Worst States For Business

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Nevada
4. Tennessee
5. Indiana
6. North Carolina
7. Arizona
8. South Carolina
9. Ohio
10. Utah
11. Georgia
12. Wyoming
13. Michigan
14. Idaho
15. Wisconsin

View the full ranking list here.

In an interview regarding Michigan's significant upward mobility, Josh Hundt, executive vice president and chief business development officer for Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), said, "The number one factor we hear from companies of all types is about Michigan’s talent and access to that talent. We have the advantage of the highest concentration of engineers in the nation and a top-10 skilled-trades workforce, and we are leveraging those strengths for the jobs of the future.”

Read the full article from Chief Executive here.