Florida Drops 5 Spots to No. 8 in CNBC Business Rankings
Updated
Updated · Gulfshore Business · Jul 29
Florida Drops 5 Spots to No. 8 in CNBC Business Rankings
2 articles · Updated · Gulfshore Business · Jul 29
Summary
CNBC ranked Florida No. 8 in its 2026 Top States for Business list, down from No. 3 last year after weaker scores in infrastructure, the economy, quality of life and business friendliness.
138 metrics across 10 categories drove the study, and CNBC pointed to a softening housing market, power grid reliability concerns and slower permit approvals as key drags on the state.
Florida still placed No. 2 for workforce and No. 4 for access to capital, while improving to No. 10 in technology and innovation and No. 15 in cost of doing business.
Ohio took the top spot for the first time, ahead of North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Minnesota, underscoring Florida's sharper slide in this year's rankings.