The Michigan CNBC ranking jumps to its highest ever at No.?6, marking a significant win in economy, infrastructure, and workforce.

Michigan achieved its highest?ever position—No.?6—in CNBC’s “America’s Top States for Business” 2025 report, marking its fourth appearance in the top?10 since 2007 and third consecutive rise from No.?10 in 2023 and No.?9 in 2024.

According to CNBC, the state ascended across multiple sub?categories:

Economy: 18th (up twenty spots)
Cost of Doing Business: 4th (up eight spots)
Workforce: 13th (up five spots)
Quality of Life: 14th (up ten spots)
Infrastructure: 15th (up nine spots)

Dramatic gains in business costs, workforce, and infrastructure

Michigan’s rise in cost of doing business reflects a deliberate effort to trim red tape, reduce small?business taxes, and expand workforce training. The CNBC ranking—based on 135 metrics—suggests these reforms are having a measurable impact.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer credited the progress to “advanced manufacturing, job training, and fixing our damn roads,” signaling a multi?pronged strategy that includes infrastructure investment and education initiatives.

Experts weigh in: Michigan’s strategy paid off

Dr. Michael Greiner, economist at Oakland University, told CNBC following the 2023 list that revived manufacturing and skilled?labor investments are central to Michigan’s rebound—but with today’s jump to No.?6, the state has gone further.

“Michigan’s business environment is transforming,” Greiner said in a media interview, “the state is building more capacity in advanced sectors.”

Local impact: What Michigan residents and businesses see

Business owners across Michigan have noted lower regulatory hurdles and stronger partnerships between state colleges and employers. Among these statewide changes:

Michigan Reconnect, Achievement Scholarship, and Community College Guarantee are enrolling over 250,000 residents.
Infrastructure fixes targeting 24,500 lane?miles of roads and 1,900 bridges since 2019

A Detroit small-business owner told Michigan’s Huron Daily Tribune that streamlined permitting helped finalize a storefront expansion in half the usual time .

Michigan CNBC Rankingf What does this mean for states’s future

Securing a top?10 position, and especially a No.?6 slot, enhances Michigan’s national profile at a time when competition for industry and skilled workers is fierce. It complements earlier accolades, such as the state’s No.?1 ranking for Inflation Reduction Act semiconductor investments.

Combined with Detroit?area momentum—led by GM, Ford and emerging EV and tech firms—this CNBC rise suggests a broader economic upswing: Michigan is no longer just reviving its old strengths, but cultivating new ones.

Continued challenges on the horizon

Governor Whitmer cautioned that “uncertainty caused by national tariffs and federal budgets” could threaten momentum. Observers agree that maintaining gains will require sustained investment and adaptability, especially amid evolving global trade pressures.