Upstate United Responds to CNBC’s 2023 Top States for Business

July 11th, 2023

The following statement can be attributed to Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United

“Today CNBC released an annual study which ranks America’s Top States for Business using 86 different metrics in 10 key categories of competitiveness, ranging from workforce as the heaviest-weighted category to cost of living as weighted least.

“While New York State has made a jump from its overall rank of 36 to 20 compared to last year, with significant improvements in areas of infrastructure, economy and life, health and inclusion, our state ranks a disturbing 46 out of 50 in the categories of workforce, business friendliness and cost of living based on the sources and methodology used to determine these standings. With a quick look at the numbers, it’s easy to see how our high cost of living and doing business in New York perpetuates these shortfalls. As New Yorkers and New York businesses head for more affordable states, the pool of skilled workers shrinks. We need to do better as a state to incentivize, attract and retain workers to keep businesses and industries viable, and in doing so, give New York residents a better opportunity to be successful in otherwise trying financial conditions.”