This is the first time that Ohio has held the top spot. In 2010, CNBC ranked Ohio No. 34 for its overall economic strategy and success, but during the DeWine Administration, Ohio steadily increased among the ranks, placing 15th in 2022, 12th in 2023, 7th in 2024, 5th in 2025, and 1st in 2026. 

“Ohio’s long-term strategy to make Ohio the go-to place for business is working," said Governor DeWine. "When I took office, I promised to 'plant the seeds' of long-term investments that will positively impact Ohio for years to come. Today's announcement is proof that these seeds are growing, and Ohio has a bright future ahead."

Several notable investments by the DeWine Administration to lay the groundwork for future success include: 

• Since 2021, Ohio has invested approximately $1 billion to clean up contaminated properties and demolish dilapidated buildings across Ohio to prepare them for redevelopment. 
  
  
• In 2023, Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly created the All Ohio Future Fund to increase the state’s inventory of project-ready economic development sites outfitted with necessary infrastructure.
  
  
• Water is essential for economic development, and Ohio has taken deliberate steps to protect and preserve its abundant water sources through the H2Ohio initiative.
  
  
• Since 2023, Ohio’s commitment to active budget management, maintaining reserves, and economic diversification led to Triple-A bond ratings from the nation’s three credit rating agencies – a first in Ohio history. 
  
  
• Governor DeWine's comprehensive education strategy begins at birth and continues into adulthood to ensure students have quality education options and good job opportunities upon graduation. Ohio is ensuring every child learns to read using the proven, science-based Science of Reading strategy and is increasing access to free books for children from birth to age five through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio. 
  
  
• Governor DeWine created the Ohio Merit Scholarship to encourage more of Ohio’s best and brightest students to stay in Ohio to attend college. Students receiving the Merit Scholarship are also now eligible for guaranteed admission to the main campus of every public college and university in the state. 
  
  
• Ohio has expanded access to career-technical education by investing $300 million to build and expand career-tech facilities, purchase modern equipment, and open up more seats for students.
  
  
• In early 2026, Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Jim Tressel launched WorkOhio – the administration’s latest initiative to connect Ohio job seekers with the state’s abundance of employment and training opportunities. At WorkOhio.gov, job seekers can connect with local job experts who can connect them with job opportunities, training programs, and other resources. 
  
  
• Under the DeWine Administration, JobsOhio and the Ohio Department of Development supported the launch of three Innovation Districts in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati and the creation of four Innovation Hubs outside of Ohio’s major metro areas to focus on groundbreaking research and product development.

For two decades, the America's Top States for Business rankings from CNBC have served as a credible and unbiased ranking of states’ success in attracting economic investments, creating new jobs, and building strong infrastructure. CNBC's 2026 study evaluated all 50 states across 138 metrics in 10 categories of competitiveness.

Ohio's recent success is supported by a strong foundation built over several decades by Ohio leaders, lawmakers, and others who worked to modernize Ohio's economy and improve the state's business climate. The creation of JobsOhio in 2011 also positioned Ohio to win economic development projects of historic scale and significance that are reshaping America’s future in manufacturing, technology, life sciences, energy, aerospace, defense, and mobility.

“This Top State recognition belongs to Team Ohio,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. “Ohio succeeds because the state government, JobsOhio, the Ohio Department of Development, the JobsOhio Network Partners, regional economic development organizations, higher education, employers, workforce partners, Ohio business advocates, and local communities all work toward the same goal. That alignment is one of Ohio's greatest competitive advantages.”

“Ohio didn’t become the No. 1 state for business overnight. We earned it by investing in our people, strengthening our communities, and creating an environment where companies can build for the long term,” said Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik. “Ohio offers low cost of doing business, low cost of living, and an exceptional quality of life—giving companies every advantage to grow while creating opportunity for the people who call Ohio home. That’s what it means to Have It All in the Heart of It All.”