A new report says Illinois will be one of the worst states for business in 2014.
The state is 48th on the list of list of states with the best economic outlook in 2014, according to the latest edition of the Rich States, Poor States, released by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
The only states with a worse outlook are Vermont and New York.
“I am disappointed, but not surprised, Illinois ranks
almost dead last when it comes to economic performance and outlook,” said Kim
Clarke Maisch, state director NFIB/Illinois. “NFIB has been warning lawmakers
for a long time to ease up on the anti-business policies yet they forge ahead
trying to hike the state’s minimum wage, pile on the workplace mandates and
raise taxes.
“These policies are dragging our state down and the numbers
show it,” she said.
Rich States, Poor States examines the latest trends in state economic growth. The data ranks the 2014 economic outlook of states using 15 equally weighted policy variables, including various tax rates, regulatory burdens and labor policies. The seventh edition examines the trends over the last few decades that have helped or hurt states’ rankings, and states with low tax rates and right-to-work laws are more likely to have a better economic outlook.
Top 10
Utah
South Dakota
Indiana
North Dakota
Idaho
North Carolina
Arizona
Nevada
Georgia
Wyoming
Bottom 10
Rhode Island
Oregon
Montana
Connecticut
New Jersey
Minnesota
California
Illinois
Vermont
New York
Used by state lawmakers across America since 2008, Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, is authored by economist Dr. Arthur B. Laffer, former Wall Street Journal senior economics writer Stephen Moore and Jonathan Williams.
To download a copy of Rich States, Poor States and to see individual state data, visit www.alec.org/rsps
