All of the data in the categories — developed with the assistance of groups including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness — are publicly available.

We like to think America’s Top States for Business is the most thorough study of state competitiveness out there, and it always generates lots of conversation, in the top states, the bottom states, and everywhere in between. And this year we want to give you more opportunities than ever to talk about your state.

Let us hear from you, onFacebook, Google+ and on Twitter using the hashtag #TopStates.

Which state has what it takes to be No. 1? Watch Scott Cohn on CNBC today as he reveals the final three states in our top-five countdown of America’s Top States for Business 2012.

House and Senate Work Simultaneously to Create Budgets, a Rarity

Latest GOP Budget Is Ambitious, Unlikely to Pass

Can Partisanship Be Fixed?

Gridlock, Then and Now

ARRRGH! Entrepreneurs Vent About Obamacare Costs

More Imbalance of Power