R.I. ranks No. 42 in Chief Executive CEO business poll

PROVIDENCE – CEOs rank Rhode Island 9th worst state for business in Chief Executive Magazine’s States for Business 2017, one spot lower from Chief Executive’s ranking in 2016. In rankings out of 10, Rhode Island received a 2.09 in taxation and regulation, a 6.36 in workforce quality and a 5.91 in living environment. Rhode Island also does not have right-to-work laws, which the Chief Executive poll shows are overwhelmingly favored by CEOs. Twenty-one percent of respondents (the magazine said it surveyed hundreds of CEOs but did not provide a specific number) said they would only hire in states with right-to-work laws and 57 percent said they would prefer to hire in a state with right-to-work laws.

In the magazine’s summary of Rhode Island, an anonymous quote from the CEO poll said, “Rhode Island needs to be radically changed.”

The magazine did note that “the Rhode Island Commerce Department has embarked on a new manufacturing initiative – a package of workforce training and economic development programs which aim to rebuild Rhode Island’s manufacturing industry for the 21st Century.”

Massachusetts ranked No. 45 in the poll, with CEOs responding poorly to Massachusetts’ taxes and regulations. However, Chief Executive notes that the state’s industry clusters and skilled workforce keeps businesses in state.

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California ranked as the worst state for business in the United States, with New York next, followed by Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut. Vermont was 11th-worst in the nation, Maine was 16th-worst and New Hampshire was 20th-worst. Texas ranked No. 1 for the 13th consecutive year, followed in order by Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana.

Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.