Brighter Futures Begin with HOPE.

As the election season starts, education and business climate are receiving more and more attention. A ranking by Forbes shows that the two are inextricably connected when it comes to moving the state forward.

In Forbes Best States for Business and Careers, Mississippi ranks 48^th for 2010, down eight spots from the 2009 ranking. Forbes rankings take into account six areas: Business Costs, Labor Supply, Regulatory Environment, Economic Climate, Growth Prospects and Quality of Life. Mississippi’s rankings for each area are in the table below.

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Mississippi’s 2010 Rankings: Best States for Business and Careers

While business costs (which include taxes) received a favorable ranking relative to other states, Mississippi received low marks for labor supply, economic climate, and quality of life. The Labor Supply category measured educational attainment, net migration and projected population growth. The Quality of Life area measured schools, health, crime, cost of living and poverty rates.

The rankings demonstrate that a comprehensive approach – which includes adequate investment in Mississippi’s education systems – is needed to improve the state’s overall competitiveness.

Over the past couple of years, investments in the systems that educate children and train the workforce have been underfunded by hundreds of millions of dollars. In the face of falling further behind, options to increase revenue should be on the table to target investments and to improve Mississippi’s overall opportunities for development.