NC falls in business ranking as growth hurts affordability
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Uptown Charlotte. Photo: Alexandria Sands/Axios
North Carolina fell from CNBC's No. 1 state for business to No. 2 after losing ground in categories related to affordability, crime and worker protections.
Why it matters: North Carolina is still considered one of the best states to do business. But this year's ranking comes with a few warning signs for the state as it grapples with rapid growth.
Catch up quick: For the past six years, North Carolina has landed in one of the top two spots.
- Last year, it reclaimed the No. 1 spot from Virginia. But CNBC at the time still flagged North Carolina's "almost complete lack of worker protections."
- North Carolina is consistently ranked one of the worst states for workers by Oxfam International, Axios previously reported.
How it works: CNBC scores all 50 states in 10 weighted categories for up to 2,500 points. North Carolina totaled 1,614 points this year, the same as last year.
- North Carolina actually topped the highly weighted economy category, up from No. 3 in 2025.
Yes, but: As a side effect of job and economic growth, North Carolina slipped in the cost-of-living category from 23 to 35, CNBC noted.
- North Carolina also fell from 29 to 34 in the quality-of-life category, which accounts for poor worker protections and rising crime.
What they're saying: While celebrating the report in a press release, Gov. Josh Stein said his administration is working to lower the cost of housing, child care, health care and utilities.
- "When a state goes more than 1,000 days without passing a budget, you can't be surprised to see some consequences," Stein continued.
Zoom out: Ohio has slowly climbed CNBC's list over the years, earning the top spot this year with the nation's highest scores in cost of doing business and infrastructure.
- CNBC said it made infrastructure its most important category in 2026 to reflect companies' interest in being close to transport hubs, utilities and data centers.