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Maryland falls among the bottom half of all U.S. states in which to conduct business, and Virginia falls in the top 10, according to Chief Executive magazine.

Maryland ranked No. 31 and Virginia placed No. 7 on the magazine’s 2009 rankings.

The magazine evaluated states on natural resources, regulation, tax policies, quality of living, education and infrastructure, among other categories.

Maryland’s highest ranking came in the category of access to capital, where it is the seventh-best in the country, according to the magazine. Virginia’s highest ranking was in business friendliness (No. 2).

Maryland was No. 11 in technology and innovation, while Virginia was No. 14.

Maryland’s worst rankings were in the transportation (No. 40) and work force (No fast cash now. 41) categories, where Virginia ranked No. 13 and No. 8, respectively.

Maryland was 20th in business friendliness and 37th in quality of life. The magazine ranked the state No. 33 in cost of doing business and 22nd for its education system.

Virginia placed No. 28 for quality of life, and No. 11 in both cost of doing business and its education system.

Texas was ranked first overall on the list.

California was ranked the worst, followed by New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Chief Executive magazine said states that perform well in the rankings tend to have lower taxes and little unionization.

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