The springtime business climate reports are beginning to appear. Chief Executive magazine is out with its annual “best and worst states for business” rankings. Washington comes in at No. 33 (No. 1 is best and goes to Texas). The Evergreen State moved up three places from last year’s No. 36, but is still well entrenched in the bottom half of the rankings. The magazine’s rankings reflect CEO perceptions.

In the 10th annual survey of CEOs concerning their views of the best and worst states for business, over 500 CEOs across the U.S. responded. Business leaders were asked to grade states with which they were familiar on a variety of measures that CEOs themselves have said are critical. These include the tax and regulatory regime, the quality of the workforce and the quality of the living environment. For example, a state’s attitude toward business is viewed as a critical component of its tax and regulatory regime, while employees’ attitude toward management is considered a crucial factor in the perceived quality of a region’s workforce. Public education and health are also important factors in the living environment, as are such things as cost of living and affordable housing.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief, J.P. Donlon, offers his insights here.

Bill McMeekin, writing at the Business Climate Blog, has more here.