July 14, 2025
South Dakota dropped 2 points to fall farther in the bottom half of CNBC’s annual ranking of top states for business.
The state came in at No. 35 in America’s Top States for Business in 2025, down from No. 33 last year.
CNBC scored all 50 states on 135 metrics in 10 broad categories of competitiveness.
“The fundamentals of the study, now in its 19th year, are the same as they have always been, identifying the factors companies consider year after year when making site selection decisions and that states pitch in their efforts to woo business,” according to the news organization. “Each category is weighted based on how frequently states use them as a selling point in economic development marketing materials, with economy No. 1 this year.”
New this year, metrics were added to gauge the states’ risks from a trade war and a shrinking federal budget.
“We…
