Table 30
Relative Cost of Doing Business, 1997
Rank	State	Index		Rank	State	Index
1	Massachusetts	114.0		27	Tennessee	96.7
2	Hawaii	113.5		28	Nevada	96.3
3	New Jersey	113.0		29	Georgia	96.1
4	NEW YORK	112.9		30	Alabama	95.2
5	Connecticut	112.1		31	South Carolina	95.1
6	Michigan	110.5		32	Missouri	93.7
7	California	109.4		33	Indiana	92.9
8	Rhode Island	105.8		34	West Virginia	92.9
9	New Hampshire	104.9		35	Texas	92.1
10	Vermont	104.7		36	Kansas	92.0
11	Maine	103.8		37	Delaware	89.6
12	Utah	103.1		38	Mississippi	88.9
13	Illinois	102.3		39	Idaho	88.0
14	Minnesota	101.9		40	Arkansas	88.0
15	Colorado	101.6		41	North Dakota	88.0
16	Pennsylvania	101.6		42	Louisiana	87.9
17	Arizona	101.3		43	Kentucky	86.9
18	Florida	101.1		44	Montana	86.4
19	Maryland	100.6		45	Nebraska	85.8
20	Alaska	98.2		46	Oklahoma	85.7
21	Washington	97.7		47	Iowa	84.2
22	Virginia	97.6		48	New Mexico	83.8
23	Ohio	97.5		49	Wyoming	76.6
24	Wisconsin	97.4		50	South Dakota	70.2
25	Oregon	97.0		U.S. average		100.0
26	North Carolina	96.7		NYS. % above avg.		12.9%
Source: Regional Financial Associates
Relative business costs include unit labor costs, energy costs and tax burdens; New York is above average in all three factors.