Ohio rose to 33rd from 38th and Michigan remained at No. 47 in Forbes’ new list of “Best States for Business.” The rankings, at forbes.com/best-states-for-business, compare the states in six categories.

Utah ranked No. 1 for the third consecutive year, followed by Virginia, North Dakota, North Carolina, and Colorado. Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Maine are the only states ranked lower than Michigan.

“The ‘right-to-work’ issue is more prominent than ever in our rankings, as all but one of the Top 10 [Colorado] are right-to-work states,” said Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes senior editor. “Right-to-work” legislation was signed in Michigan this week.

Ohio and Michigan both rank near the bottom in “economic climate” and in “labor supply,” which includes the percentage of residents with college and high school diplomas, and in net migration, projected population growth, and the percentage of the work force represented by unions.

Both states’ highest ranking was in “quality of life,” with Ohio 12th and Michigan 24th.

First Published December 13, 2012, 5:00 a.m.