The Centennial State slipped to the No. 5 spot in CNBC's 2011 ranking of top states for business, having placed third last year. Competitors aside, Colorado improved its own overall score by 56 points (1,512) from a year ago, only to finish one point behind the No. 4 state this year.
The Centennial State took its largest forward leap in the infrastructure and transportation category. Yet Colorado fell from its 2010 rankings in six of the 10 categories, including cost of doing business, quality of life, economy, education, technology and innovation, and business friendliness.
By far the largest fall came from the state economy category, pushing Colorado 18 spots lower on the pecking order in that category.