Print  

National Rankings

TAXES & REVENUE

Business Taxes as a Share of all Taxes and GSP (2005)

State Business Tax Climate Property Tax Index (2007)

The Property Tax Index is comprised of taxes levied on the wealth of individuals and businesses. These include taxes on real and personal property, net worth and the transfer of assets.

Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Rank (2006)

ECONOMIC & BUSINESS CLIMATE

Average Premiums and Expenditures for Auto Insurance (2004)

Beacon Hill Competitiveness Report (2006)

This index attempts to identify the qualities that allow some areas to excel in income generation and the qualities that prohibit other areas from attaining the same level of competitiveness. The eight indicators of this index are government and fiscal policies, security, infrastructure, human resources, technology, business incubation, openness and environmental policy.

Cost of Doing Business (2005)

This index indicates each state’s comparative advantages or disadvantages in attracting and retaining businesses. The index measures wage costs, taxes, electricity costs and real estate costs for industrial and office space. An index score of 100 means that the state is equal to the U.S. average in that particular category.

Export Ranks (2006)

Industrial R & D Performance by State (2000-2004)
(Dollars are in Millions)

EDUCATION

Academic Research and Development Spending (2004)

This measure conveys a sense of the scale of research and development spending at universities in each state, and, indirectly, its capacity to generate technology-related business development.

College Continuation Rate (2004)
(% of High School Graduates Enrolled in College)

FTE Higher Ed Enrollment as % of Population (Fall 2004)

Graduate Students in Science and Engineering (2006)

Number of science and engineering graduate students in doctorate-granting institutions, per 1 million population.

High School Completion (1999-2001)

High school completion rate of 18-24 year olds.

SAT Scores (2006)

National Average is 1,518.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (2005)

Appropriations of State Tax Funds for Higher Education Operating Expenses (per $1,000 Personal Income) (2006)

NATURAL RESOURCES

Acres Harvested in 2006

North Dakota’s Top Agricultural Commodities (2006)

(Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agriculture Statistics Service. www.nass.usda.org.)

Energy Costs (2005)

Average cost in cents of electricity per kilowatt hour (measured by average revenue per kilowatt hour sold)

Average Retail Price of Electricity (February2007)

Revenue per KwH from Commercial Customers (April 2006)

Revenue per KwH from Industrial Customers (April 2006)

State Government Natural Resources Spending (2004)

State Government Parks & Recreation Spending (2004)

PUBLIC SAFETY & COURTS

U.S. Tort Liability Index (2006)

Rankings were determined by averaging the rankings for 39 variables which fall into five subgroups: monetary tort losses, threats, monetary caps, substantive-law rules and reforms, and procedural/structural rules and reforms.

Lack of Violent Crime (2004) (1 per 100,000 population)

Violent offenses known to the police, which include murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

Safest States (2007)

Ratings are based on six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

HEALTH & WELFARE

Infectious Disease (2003-2005)

The average number of days in the previous 30 days that a person could not perform work due to infectious disease.

Poor Mental Health Days (2005)

The average number of days in the previous 30 days that a person could not perform work or household tasks due to mental illness.

Poor Physical Health Days (2005)

The average number of days in the previous 30 days that a person could not perform work or household tasks due to physical illness.

Healthcare Cost Quotient (2006)

Rankings are based on evaluation of data in five major healthcare categories: healthcare facilities, healthcare providers, health insurance costs, healthcare provider visit costs, and malpractice costs.

Healthiest States (2005)

Scores indicate the percentage a state is above or below the national norm.

Hospital Quality in America (2003)

QUALITY OF LIFE

Air Pollution (2006)

Proportion of persons living in countries designated by the EPA as “non-attainment,” where air pollution levels persistently exceed the nation ambient air quality standards for one or more of seven air pollutants.

Cost of Living (4th Quarter 2006)

Index is calculated based on the average of indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in each state.

Cost of Urban Housing (2005)

Weighted annual average of fair market rent schedules for a standard two-bedroom unit of housing, metropolitan areas, as a percent of median metropolitan family income

Average Travel Time to Work (2005)

Average travel time to work of workers 16 years and over who did not work at home

WORKFORCE & WAGES

PhD Scientists and Engineers (2001)

Number of employed doctoral scientists and engineers per 1,000 workers, 2001

Human Resource Index (2006)

Ranking of factors that make a state attractive for business based on % of population aged 25 and over that graduated from high school, unemployment rate % of population enrolled in degree-granting institutions, % of adults who are in the labor force, % of students at or above proficient in math, grade 4 (public schools), % of population without health insurance.

Unemployment Insurance Payments (2006)

Average weeks are calculated from state-reported date contained in the Unemployment Insurance Data Base and data from outside sources

UNIONIZATION

North Dakota Union Facts

Total reported Union Members: 7,358
Assets: $2,923,494
Receipts: $7,491,095
Disbursements: $7,537,132

Percentage of Workforce Unionized in 2005

• 93% Non-Unionized
• 7% Unionized

(Source: www.unionfacts.com)

QUALITY OF WORK

Employee Turnover Rates

Employee turnover rates are expected to be 20-30 percent Nationwide. North Dakota boasts employee turnover rates less than 15 percent in fact some employers do not even track turnover because it’s not an issue.

In a 2003 labor availability study, 70.5 percent of the employers responding reported a turnover rate less than 10 percent.

Employee Absentee Rates

North Dakotans’ know at a young age that absenteeism is unacceptable. In ND we have the second highest average daily attendance as a percentage of fall enrollments in our high schools.  For businesses and employers, this translates into hard workers who were raised with the values of commitment and dependability.

Consider this: Over 85 percent of the North Dakota employers in one labor study indicated their daily absenteeism is less than 6 percent. In fact, many North Dakota businesses don’t even consider absenteeism as a cost of doing business. Look at these statistics:
Underemployment Rates*

The unemployment rate in North Dakota averages 3.0 percent.  This low unemployment rate can be deceiving, because ND has a significant amount of underemployed workers searching for a change of pace.
 
North Dakota’s underemployed represents prospective workers.  They are individuals working in a job below their skill level or training.  A number of North Dakota communities conducted labor availability studies in September of 2006. The average number of job seekers – or underemployed workers – in these communities was 31.3 percent.

Another North Dakota community conducted a survey of its existing workforce and found the following:

• Nearly 90 percent of all survey respondents have achieved their high school diploma (or equivalent);
• Over 30 percent of the survey respondents had at least a four-year college degree; and
• Over 30 percent of the survey respondents had undergone some training in the last three years.

Grand Forks Labor Availability and Surrounding Area

For more detailed information about this study go to:

 http://www.growingnd.com/index.asp?Section=Detail&PageID=469

(Source: North Dakota Department of Commerce)
(*Source: Labor Availability Study 2006)