COLUMBUS, OH – Policy priorities championed by Americans for Prosperity-Ohio (AFP-OH) through its Buckeye Blueprint agenda have helped push Ohio to the top of CNBC’s “America’s Top States for Business” rankings, released last week. Now in its 20th year, CNBC’s ranking scores all 50 states on 138 metrics across 10 categories of competitiveness. Ohio earned 1,623 points out of a possible 2,500 — enough to claim the No. 1 spot for the first time in the study’s history, up from No. 5 last year and a 33-spot climb since ranking 34th in 2010.
Ohio earned an A+ in both Infrastructure and Cost of Doing Business, the two most heavily weighted categories in this year’s rankings, finishing No. 1 in each. CNBC credited the state’s low business costs, affordable rents and insurance, growing data-center footprint, and abundant power supply for driving the historic result.
AFP-OH State Director Donovan O’Neil said:
“For years, AFP-OH has said the same thing: good policy produces good results, and Ohioans deserve to live in a state that leads instead of lags. The Buckeye Blueprint has pushed for lower taxes, less regulatory red tape, reduced government bloat, and real energy abundance because we believe that’s what it takes to compete. Ohio climbing to No. 1 shows that our approach is working — and it’s exactly why we’re not slowing down.
“Ohio still has work to do — workforce readiness remains a weak spot in this year’s rankings, and the fight to eliminate Ohio’s income tax and cut red tape further is far from over. But today is proof that when Ohio chooses pro-growth policy, Ohio wins. We’ll keep working until every corner of the Buckeye State feels the benefit.”
The ranking follows an April report from the American Legislative Exchange Council, whose 19th edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index found Ohio posted the largest single-year improvement in Economic Outlook of any state in the country — climbing ten spots, from No. 25 to No. 15 — on the strength of the passage and implementation of Ohio’s flat state income tax, another longtime Buckeye Blueprint priority.