What happened to Virginia 鈥� last year鈥檚 top state?
The Commonwealth is still a contender, finishing a solid third overall. But it faltered in two categories in particular: Infrastructure and Economy.
Infrastructure 鈥� specifically the state鈥檚 perpetually clogged highways 鈥� has long been an issue in fast-growing Virginia, and there is fresh evidence this year that the state is having trouble keeping pace. With some of the country's toughest commutes, the state dipped to number 33 in the category, down from 10th a year ago.
Virginia鈥檚 economy remains in the top tier. But it has suffered in part due to circumstances beyond its control. The state鈥檚 proximity to Washington, DC has helped in previous years. Late last year, however, Moody鈥檚 slapped a negative outlook on Virginia鈥檚 otherwise pristine bond rating because of the federal government鈥檚 fiscal crisis. That contributed to Virginia slipping to 10th from eighth in our Economy category this year.
While still the envy of most states, Virginia declined in a total of six categories in 2012. The other four are Cost of Doing Business (32/21), Education (13/6), Technology & Innovation (14/11) and Business Friendliness (4/3). In this competition, you can鈥檛 post that many declines and stay on top 鈥� or, it turns out, finish second either.
