Alaska ranks 49th in ‘Top States for Business’ survey; Dunleavy uses low score to pitch gasline

July 12, 2026 - 04:55

Alaska has once again landed near the very bottom of an annual ranking of state business climates. The state placed 49th in the latest "Top States for Business" survey conducted by a major business news outlet, continuing a two-decade trend of poor marks for the Last Frontier. Since the survey began 20 years ago, Alaska has consistently finished near or at the bottom of the list, rarely climbing out of the last few spots.

Governor Mike Dunleavy responded to the low ranking by using it to push for a long-sought natural gas pipeline project. In a statement, the governor argued that the state's poor business climate is directly tied to its lack of affordable, reliable energy. He pointed to the proposed Alaska LNG project as the key to turning things around, saying that a major gasline would lower energy costs, attract industry, and create thousands of jobs. Dunleavy framed the low score not as a failure of current policy but as evidence that the state needs a transformative infrastructure project to compete.

The survey evaluates states on factors like workforce, infrastructure, and cost of doing business. Alaska has historically struggled in categories such as access to capital and education, while its remote location and high transportation costs also drag down its score. Critics of the governor's argument note that the gasline project has been discussed for decades without breaking ground, and that relying on a single megaproject may not address the deeper structural issues that keep Alaska at the bottom of the rankings.