RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A report released this week claims that North Carolina has been demoted as the top state in the country to do business.

Number one is our neighbor to the north, Virginia.

ABC11 spoke at UNC economist Gerald Cohen to give us better insight into the report.

He said we dropped because more weight in the study was put on infrastructure. Things like roads, bridges, airports and broadband connectivity.

Cohen believes the state is working to improve in that area and he believes it has less to do with recent developments on companies like VinFast and Apple delaying their campuses in the Triangle.

“It’s still a high ranking, we have this workforce that continues to be strong, looking at migration data we continue to attract people to the state,” Cohen said.

He strongly feels the state needs to broadly invest in schools from pre-K all the way to community colleges.

Experts gathered at the 22nd annual Economic Forecast Forum put together by the NC Chamber and the North Carolina Bankers Association. ABC11 was a sponsor of the event.