Source:
Texas By The Numbers by CNBC
Texas powers past the tough times on the strength of its economy -- top-ranked in our Economy category four years in a row. The Texas economy is the 15th largest in the world, according to government figures; larger, for example, than all the Scandinavian nations combined.
The Lone Star State is home to 64 Fortune 500 companies, more than any other state, in a wide variety of industries. So while the state's last win in 2008 came with oil at a record $145 a barrel -- a natural tailwind for the largest industry in Texas -- the state managed to do even better this year despite the fact that oil is trading at roughly half that price.
Texas has also managed to avoid the worst of the real estate crisis, according to reporter Ashanti Blaize of KXAS-TV. "While in other major cities we've seen condo high-rise projects either slowed or come to a screeching halt, in Dallas we've seen an influx of some of those projects," says Blake.
However, that economic strength has a side effect. Rising commercial rents and high wages hurt the state in the all-important Cost-of-Doing-Business category, where it comes in at number 30.
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