A study that measures the competitiveness of states and cities based on ability to generate income and promote growth ranks Massachusetts number one in the nation and puts Boston fourth among metro regions.
The fourth annual report released yesterday by Suffolk University's Beacon Hill Institute moves the Bay State to the top ranking from the runner-up slot it held the past two years behind Delaware. The institute attributed Massachusetts' higher ranking -- and Delaware's drop to 18 in this year's rankings -- in part to improvements in the quality of data available and to a better index used to measure eight categories.
