Best states for doing business in 2013

Gross state product: $46 billion

Median household income: $52,764

Job growth (2013): 3.4%

Cost of doing business: 14.7% below the national average

College attainment: 27.9%

(Dave Kolpack / Associated Press)

Sept. 27, 2013 6 AM PT

Virginia and North Dakota top the list of the best states to do business in 2013, according to Forbes’ annual study. At the bottom is Maine, which has been at No. 50 for four straight years. California is ranked No. 39. The best ranked states tend to have a wealth of incentives for companies and also economies that are recovering more robustly from the Great Recession. Now in its eighth year, the annual ranking takes into account factors such as labor, supply costs, the regulatory environment and growth prospects.Follow Shan Li on Twitter @ShanLi

Gross state product: $130 billion

Median household income: $56,741

Job growth (2013): 3%

Cost of doing business: 9.5% below the national average

College attainment: 30.7%

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Gross state product: $456 billion

Median household income: $44,793

Job growth (2013): 1.8%

Cost of doing business: 17.1% below the national average

College attainment: 27.4%

(Rhett Butler / Associated Press)

Gross state product: $274 billion

Median household income: $56,129

Job growth (2013): 2.5%

Cost of doing business: 2.4% below the national average

College attainment: 37.5%

(Mickey Krakowski / Associated Press)

Gross state product: $1,397 billion

Median household income: $51,842

Job growth (2013): 3%

Cost of doing business: 4.6% below the national average

College attainment: 26.7%

(Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

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Best states for doing business in 2013

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