Both North And South Dakota Drop On "Best States For Business" List -- Forbes -- November 19, 2016

From The Williston Herald:

Development of the Bakken oil fields has successfully positioned North Dakota to rank eighth in Forbes annual best states for business list.

“It’s a fair assessment that North Dakota remains one of the top ten states to do business, contrary to outside reports, North Dakota is still doing very well,” Williston Economic Development Director Shawn Wenko said.

“In western North Dakota, state and local entities have invested billions of dollars in infrastructure in order to keep up with an exploding industry. Energy prices will eventually go up. Oil and gas activity will increase again, albeit probably not as hectic as we saw in 2012-2013.”

Over the past five years, the booming energy industry showed unprecedented job growth at 3.8 percent, income growth at 4.5 percent. State product growth jumped 7.5 percent, and unemployment rates were the best in the nation, averaging 3 percent.

The list at Forbes, in parentheses, the 2015 rank):

1: Utah (1)

2: North Carolina (2)

3: Nebraska (3)

4: Texas (6)

5: Colorado (5)

6: Virginia (7)

7: Georgia (11)

8: North Dakota (4)

9: Washington (10)

10: South Dakota (9)

15. Minnesota (NP - not provided)

19. Massachusetts NP)

24. New York (NP)

30. California (NP)

39. New Jersey (NP)

41: Hawaii (43)

42: Rhode Island (46)

43: Connecticut (39)

44: Alabama (45)

45: Vermont (42)

46: New Mexico (47)

47: Alaska (44)

48: Mississippi (48)

49: Maine (48)

50: West Virginia (50)