Ohio is increasingly viewed as a business friendly state, according to the latest survey by Chief Executive Magazine. Ohio was ranked 10th among states, an improved showing that suggests Ohio may have shed its Rust Belt reputation.
This year’s survey of CEO’s across the country ranks Ohio’s business climate in the top 10 for the second time since 2016. Texas was ranked 1st, 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 CEO’s 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, according to Chief Executive Magazine CEO Wayne Cooper.
“Ohio has been moving up in the rankings pretty consistently over the past 5 plus years and is now number 10 in the top 10, which is a great tribute to the hard work of enlightened leaders within the state,” Cooper said.
Not all surveys give Ohio a gold star. The conservative think-tank the Tax Foundation gives Ohio an "F" for its reliance on the corporate Commercial Activities Tax and personal income taxes to pay its bills.
