N.J. ranks No. 31 overall in CNBC’s Best States for Business — and No. 50 in business friendliness category

State trails all of its key Northeast competitors: Pennsylvania (No. 13), Massachusetts (No. 15), New York (No. 18) and Connecticut (No. 23)

July 9, 2026

We’re better than Delaware — the state to the south of us that long ago designed their corporate structure rules to lure businesses.

So, we have that.

But the fact remains, New Jersey still ranks among the lower half of the states in the country for business friendliness.

At least that was the take of the much-watched CNBC’s ‘Top States for Business’ rankings, released this morning.

New Jersey came in at No. 31 — one spot ahead of Delaware, but behind our other Northeast neighbors: Connecticut (No. 23), New York (No. 18), Massachusetts (No. 15) and Pennsylvania (No. 13).

Why? Well, it wasn’t quality of life. New Jersey ranked No. 2 in education (behind Massachusetts) and No. 3 in quality of life (trailing only Vermont and Maine).

But we were No. 38 on the cost of doing business, No. 39 on cost of living and, wait for it, No. 50 on business friendliness. And these rankings were determined before that basket of revenue raisers on the business community was passed into law.

Michelle Siekerka, the CEO of the N.J. Business & Industry Association said she wasn’t surprised.

“Obviously, we didn’t arrive here in the short term,” she said. “New Jersey employers have endured decades of anti-business policies, and our state has a reputation for not being business friendly.”

Her concern is that there appears to be no desire to change this.

She points to the Corporate Transit Fee, wholesale changes to the ABC test that make it nearly impossible to prove that a worker is an independent contractor, and a tax on business that she feels improperly penalizes employers with 50 or more workers on Medicaid.

“So, we are at an inflection point and must ask ourselves: What is next for our job creators?” she said.

“New Jersey needs a true reform agenda and economic growth strategy now, with a clear, intentional path to driving down business taxes and burdens, instead of seeking new ones.”

Tom Bracken, the CEO of the N.J. State Chamber agreed.

“Today’s CNBC’s 2026 America’s Top States for Business rankings reinforce what the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has long been saying: New Jersey must make economic competitiveness and support for the business community a top priority,” Bracken said.

Bracken further said that he was disappointed that New Jersey slipped in the overall rankings from 30th to 31st as a state for doing business.

“Even more troubling, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut all ranked ahead of New Jersey. Those are the very states we compete with every day for jobs, investment and economic growth. We cannot afford to continue falling behind our regional neighbors.”

In case you’re wondering, Ohio ranked No. 1 overall, followed by North Carolina and Virginia.

For the complete rankings and scoring, click here.

Category	Rank
Infrastructure	41
Economy	31
Workforce	19
Quality of Life	33
Cost of Doing Business	8
Technology & Innovation	20
Business Friendliness	50
Access to Capital	13
Education	23
Cost of Living	9