CONCORD – New Hampshire is ranked 30th among the 50 states as a place to attract and conduct business, according to the 2014 Top States for Business profile produced by the CNBC business network.
Last year, CNBC ranked New Hampshire 27th overall.
The network ranked the states on 56 measures of competitiveness, “developed using input from business groups, economic development experts, companies and the states themselves. States receive points based on their rankings in each metric.”
The metrics are then separated into 10 broad categories, weighting the categories based on how frequently they are cited in state economic development marketing materials, according to CNBC.
New Hampshire ranked third in “quality of life,” but 48th in infrastructure. It ranked 10th in education, but 41st in “workforce.” The state ranked 32nd in the cost of doing business, yet 13th in “business friendliness.” Click here for the entire chart.
The report from CNBC prompted criticism of Gov. Maggie Hassan from her critics and a political opponent.
Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire state director Greg Moore said, “There is no doubt that New Hampshire is falling behind other states in the competition to attract and retain good employers, and that hurts our ability to create good, new jobs and attract investment here.
“Doing nothing is not good enough. Passing tax hikes makes things worse,” said Moore. “It’s time for a Governor and Legislature that are committed to taking the steps necessary to make New Hampshire more competitive, not to simply atrophy and watch as other states improve themselves.”
Moore called for passage of a right-to-work law.
Republican candidate for governor Walt Havenstein said, “We are on a downward slope and we need a change of leadership. Maggie Hassan has been in office now for nearly two years and has failed to produce an effective economic development plan.
“Instead of wasting taxpayer money taking lobbyists on a junket to Turkey, Maggie Hassan should be in Concord writing an economic development plan.”
Havenstein noted that the top five states in the rankings have Republican governors: Georgia, Texas, Utah, Nebraska and North Carolina.
