Good afternoon,
The CNBC ranking of states is never good news for Delaware.
In 2019, the state ranked 38th, unchanged from 2018, but up from a more dismal 40thin 2017. The cable has compiled the report from largely public sources for a dozen years.
Ranking first was Virginia, with Rhode Island at 50th.
States surrounding Delaware – Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey ranked in the lower tier.
Interestingly enough, Delaware ranked no lower than 38in any single category. Still, the First State ended up in the 38thspot, even though it ranked 24thin workforce and economy.
Two of Delaware’s pluses – no sales tax and lower property taxes, did not appear to have much influence on the rankings.
You won’t hear a lot about the CNBC ranking. The exception will be critics of Democrats who control most of the levers of state government.
It would be a good idea to crunch the rankings from the many business surveys and come up with an average.
One factor in the CNBC report that deserves study is the state’s low ranking (38th) when it comes to the costs of doing business. That low ranking has popped up in other reports.
The ranking may be tied to the of electricity. Washington, a state that ranks high in the CNBC report has ample supplies of low cost hydroelectric power. Delaware is under alternative energy mandates, which have an impact on costs.
Whatever the case, the CNBC ranking is well known and any valid shortcomings regarding Delware should be addressed.
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