WISCONSIN MOVES UP IN BUSINESS RANKINGS
Second biggest gain since 2008
Madison – Legislative reforms aimed at improving the state’s business climate continue to pay off. Chief Executive Magazine’s annual survey of 650 CEO opinions on the Best and Worst States in which to do business ranked Wisconsin as the 20th best state in which to do business, up four spots from last year’s survey.
“A year ago, I said that if we continued to improve our business climate, Wisconsin would move ahead of our neighbors,” said Severson. “Moving up to 20th, Wisconsin moved ahead of Iowa, and maintained our lead over Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. Business owners are beginning to see that Wisconsin will get government out of the way so that the private sector can create jobs.”
By comparison, Minnesota saw one of the worst drops in a year, plummeting seven spots to 36th, a total decrease of 14 spots since 2008. Wisconsin’s gain of four spots out performed all other Midwest states, while Illinois remains at the bottom ahead of only New York and California.
“Wisconsin will continue to move up the rankings as long as we continue to move forward with responsible policies that focus on job creation, cutting spending, and getting government out of the way,” said Severson. “Job growth doesn’t occur overnight, but as long as we continue move the state forward, Wisconsin can be THE place to do business in the Midwest.”