Utah 9th for 'pro-business,' 2nd in 'most livable' ranking

Utah has been named in a pair of top 10 rankings this month.

The state was second in the "Most Livable State" rankings compiled by CQ Press, a division of Congressional Quarterly. Last year, Utah was fourth.

The rankings are based on 44 factors that reflect a state's basic quality of life. Each category is averaged to yield a final score to determine a state's "livability rating."

Utah also finished ninth in a list of "pro-business states" in a report published by Chicago-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate. The study examines 29 factors that focus on job creation and retention efforts of the federal government and all 50 state governments.

North Carolina led the Pollina rankings, while California was 50th.