Virginia moved up to No. 3 in CNBC’s 2026 "America’s Top States for Business" rankings, the network said Thursday, with Ohio claiming the top spot and North Carolina placing second. The study, now in its 20th year, evaluates states using 138 metrics across 10 categories and assigns a maximum possible score of 2,500 points; Virginia earned 1,595 points this year.
How Virginia scored
The commonwealth registered top-10 finishes in several categories that typically matter to corporate location and expansion decisions. Virginia’s highest category ranks included infrastructure (No. 2), education (No. 5), technology and innovation (No. 6), quality of life (No. 7) and access to capital and workforce (both No. 10). State business leaders said those strengths underpin Virginia’s appeal for investment and talent.
"These assets reaffirm Virginia’s position as one of the nation’s premier destinations for business, investment and talent," the Virginia Chamber of Commerce said in a news release.
Still, the report pointed to specific areas where Virginia lost ground. CNBC attributed a decline tied to federal budget and personnel cuts, noting the commonwealth’s economy ranking slipped from No. 14 last year to No. 23. The chamber warned that those trends serve as a caution about the state’s future job creation and private-sector vigor.
What the ranking means for households and businesses
- Businesses: High marks for infrastructure, education and technology signal a favorable environment for firms that depend on logistics, skilled labor and innovation networks.
- Households: Quality-of-life and education rankings suggest continuing strengths in public services and community amenities that affect resident well-being and workforce attraction.
- Concerns: The drop in economic ranking tied to federal cuts could constrain job growth in sectors reliant on federal spending and contract work, with downstream effects on local suppliers and payrolls.
CNBC’s methodology gives weight to categories such as infrastructure, workforce, education, business friendliness, cost of doing business and others. This year’s results also named Hawaii as the lowest-ranked state, with CNBC citing infrastructure, workforce and high costs as key drags.
| Rank (Top 3) | State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio |
| 2 | North Carolina |
| 3 | Virginia (1,595 pts) |
For state officials and corporate site selectors, the rankings provide a comparative snapshot but not a full explanation of causation. Policymakers in Virginia face the challenge of preserving strengths in infrastructure and talent while addressing the fiscal and federal-employment headwinds that eroded the state’s economy rank. The full rankings and methodology are available at topstates.cnbc.com.
— Business desk reporting based on CNBC’s 2026 "America’s Top States for Business" study and a Virginia Chamber of Commerce news release.
