CNBC ranked all 50 states for business using 138 metrics across 10 categories. That's 138 data points multiplied by 50 states which equals 6,900 individual measurements that will affect exactly zero business decisions.
Some CEO was definitely going to move his company to Nebraska until he saw they ranked 32nd in workforce quality. Changed his mind completely. Picked Colorado instead because they scored 4% higher on infrastructure subscore seven.
The study tests "competitiveness" like it's a blood panel. Your state's tax climate came back elevated. Might want to cut back on the corporate incentives. Get those numbers down.
138 metrics is the number you pick when you want to sound scientific but also need to make sure your pre-determined winner ends up on top. It's like a figure skating score. Add enough categories and Sweden wins every time. Or Texas. Depends what you're selling.
Ten categories of competitiveness sounds like something a management consultant said in an airport Chili's and everyone nodded because the margarita pitcher was half empty.
The rankings will get quoted in gubernatorial campaign ads for the next eight months. "We're number 12 in business climate according to CNBC" will appear on a billboard in font size 96. The methodology footnote will be in font size 4.
Retail traders will definitely use this to pick which regional bank stocks to buy. "Arizona moved up three spots so I'm all in on Flagstaff Credit Union preferred shares." That's called research.
Every state that dropped in the rankings will blame the metrics. Every state that rose will call it objective analysis. That's how you know the system works.
CNBC will run this story every single year and pretend the 2027 rankings will be different. They won't be. The same six states will rotate through the top ten while Wyoming wonders what it did wrong.
Your state finished where it always finishes because 138 metrics is just 137 ways of saying we already knew the answer.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
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