On Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott celebrated Texas receiving the top ranking in Chief Executive magazine’s annual Best State for Business survey for the 22nd consecutive year, extending what the publication called a record-setting run atop the national rankings.
The ranking, determined through an annual survey of CEOs, presidents, and business owners conducted by Chief Executive magazine, has placed Texas first in every year since the publication began the ranking. Texas has held the top position without interruption since the survey’s inception, according to the Office of the Texas Governor.
“Texas is where businesses innovate and where opportunity abounds,” Abbott said in a statement released by his office. “Texas has long dominated the nation as the Best State for Business thanks to our pro-growth policies, world-class workforce, and strategic investments in education, high-demand skills training, and critical infrastructure. We will continue to move at the speed of business as we build a more prosperous Texas for generations to come.”
“Truly, this is an incredible run that Texas has going,” said Chief Executive Group Publisher Christopher Chalk. “CEOs are a tough group to please, and yet year after year Texas continues to earn the top spot — no small feat.”
The announcement came days after Abbott cited preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showing the Texas economy expanded to $2.9 trillion in 2025, based on the state’s current-dollar gross domestic product. According to those preliminary BEA estimates, Texas led all states in GDP growth in 2025 at a rate of 2.5%, the governor’s office reported on Friday.
The Texas Economic Development Corporation, which operates under the governor’s office, has pointed to the state’s lack of a personal income tax, its regulatory environment, and its workforce development programs as factors cited by businesses when selecting Texas for relocations and expansions. The state’s population growth, which the U.S. Census Bureau has tracked as among the fastest in the nation, has continued to expand the available labor pool across industries including technology, energy, and manufacturing.
Texas has used the Chief Executive ranking in prior years as a centerpiece of its economic development outreach, with the governor’s office and the Texas Economic Development Corporation referencing the designation in recruitment materials targeting out-of-state companies.
Abbott’s office highlighted $2.9 trillion GDP figure as a next important threshold that would further place Texas among the largest economies globally.
The next steps outlined by Abbott’s office include continued investment in workforce training programs and infrastructure, consistent with priorities the governor identified in his 2025 legislative agenda submitted to the Texas Legislature. “We will continue to move at the speed of business as we build a more prosperous Texas for generations to come,” Abbott said.