How sweet it is! Utah, known as the Beehive State because its people are so industrious, proves its point with a convincing win in our 10th annual Top States for Business ranking.



In many ways, this is the culmination of a decade of hard work by the people and businesses of Utah, developing innovative industries, a skilled workforce and a critical mass of companies big and small that is now rivaling Silicon Valley.

It's not surprising that unicorns like Qualtrics and InsideSales.com are emerging in Utah as venture capitalists flock to the state to invest in a wide variety of industries — from energy and software to medical device companies.

Lured by factors such as tax breaks, affordable real estate, an educated populace and a strong public-transit system, many iconic companies have set up home bases in the state. They are attracted to the pipeline of STEM workers from such schools as Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.