This publication reveals the state of the Utah economy and the plans of the new Governor as he takes control after the resignation of Governor Jon Huntsman to become Ambassador to China. Governor Herbert, among other things, proclaims economic development, education and energy security his highest priorities.
The study evaluates and ranks states based on 33 factors including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy costs, infrastructure spending, workers compensation laws, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts.
Rankings are based on publicly available data that includes 40 different measures of competitiveness. States receive points in each metric, which are then separated into 10 broad categories: cost of doing business, work force, quality of life , economy, transportation and infrastructure, technology and innovation, education, business friendliness, access to capita and cost of living.
Four Utah towns made Money magazine's latest list of the 100 best places to live in the United States. These towns included Farmington, Bountiful. Lindon and Draper.
The top performing states keep taxes, spending, and regulatory burdens low, while the biggest losers in the book tend to share similar policies of high tax rates, unsustainable spending and regulation.
The Milken Institute measures the stock of capable entrepreneurs and risk capital available to support the conversion of research into commercially viable technology products and services.
Utah's strong job creation has helped keep the state out of some of the economic doldrums facing the nation, according to a report released by the Milken Institute.
NOBODY knows quite how the contagion that broke out in Wall Street will affect the rest of America, nor how deep or how long the likely recession will be. What is certain is that some places will suffer more than others. So far Utah, a state best-known for Mormonism and pretty rocks, is looking unusually healthy.
Forbes rankings measure states on six main areas of importance: business costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life.
