Eleventh Annual State Competitiveness Report

The BHI State Competitiveness Index identifies how well a state performs in its ability to cultivate, for example, a solid base of scientists and engineers or how well a state is doing in protecting its environment while holding down utility costs. The index can point to whether a state can improve the productivity of its workers by cutting down on the time spent on daily commutes to work.

No one walks away without taking a clear picture of conditions in his state. Our measure offers compelling lessons from perennially successful states such as Massachusetts, North Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, and Nebraska. It also highlights the disadvantages faced by highly uncompetitive states such as New Jersey, Alabama, and Mississippi. The index can be a motivational tool to change policy to improve productivity because, in the end, that's what really matters.