After a low point last year, Washington has climbed three spots in the national rankings of the best states for business. But it remains less competitive than it was in the past. 

Washington ranked No. 11 in CNBC’s annual list of America’s Top States for Business, up from No. 14 in 2025. It’s also still a drop from the No. 2 spot the state held in 2022 and 2018. It ranked No. 1 in 2017. 

The rankings focused on factors companies consider when selecting sites, and where states are focusing their efforts to win jobs and businesses, according to CNBC. Infrastructure was the study’s top-weighted category, followed by economy and workforce. 

Other categories included quality of life, cost of doing business, technology and innovation, business friendliness, access to capital, education, and cost of living.  

Washington’s biggest jump up was in infrastructure, from a 2025 rank of No. 26 to No. 16 in 2026. Its top categories were technology and innovation, where the state ranked No. 4; economy, coming in at No. 5; and workforce at No. 6.  

Low points for the state were cost of doing business – the state ranked No. 47 – were the cost of living, business friendliness and education. 

In a social media post, Governor Bob Ferguson pledged to get Washington to the top spot. 

“Last year, my first year as governor, Washington ranked 14th in CNBC’s Best States for Business. This year, we moved up 3 spots to 11th,” the post said. “Next year, we're going to crack the top 10. We won’t stop until we’re number 1.”