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Connecticut climbs five spots in CNBC's Top States for Business rankings
Hartford Business Journal • • business
Key Points:
- Connecticut improved its ranking in CNBC’s 2026 America’s Top States for Business, moving up five places to 23rd from 28th last year, driven in part by changes in the study’s methodology emphasizing infrastructure.
- The state excelled in education (4th nationally) and quality of life (5th), while also performing well in technology and innovation (19th), business friendliness (21st), access to capital (23rd), and workforce (25th).
- Connecticut’s main challenges remain affordability, ranking 40th in cost of doing business and 44th in cost of living, along with middling scores in economy (34th) and infrastructure (29th).
- CNBC’s ranking assessed all 50 states using 138 metrics across 10 categories, with infrastructure becoming the highest-weighted factor for 2026, reflecting shifting business priorities.
- Ohio topped the overall ranking for the first time, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and Minnesota; among New England states, Massachusetts led at 15th, with Connecticut second at 23rd.
