The American Legislative Exchange Council has ranked North Carolina fifth in the nation for economic outlook. In its annual “Rich State, Poor State” report, each state is analyzed on more than dozen metrics to forecast its competitiveness and potential for growth. The authors of the report, released earlier this month, include renowned economist Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Jonathan Williams.

The metrics focus primarily on areas of policy which are directly determined by the legislative process, including top marginal income tax rates and property and sales tax burdens.