Pennsylvania has climbed four spots to No. 13 in CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business rankings, its highest position in 15 years and the highest-ranked state in the Northeast.

In a press release issued last week, the PA Chamber said the improvement is strong evidence that pro-growth reforms championed by the business community are making the Commonwealth more competitive for private-sector investment.

The ranking comes after years of work to improve Pennsylvania’s business climate through policies supported by the PA Chamber, including reducing the Corporate Net Income Tax, modernizing Net Operating Loss deductions, improving permitting, investing in workforce development, and strengthening the state’s economic competitiveness.

“This is welcome news for Pennsylvania and everyone who has worked to make our Commonwealth a better place to do business,” said PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein. “When lawmakers come together on pro-growth policies, Pennsylvania becomes more competitive, attracts more investment, and creates more opportunity. This ranking shows we’re moving in the right direction.”

The PA Chamber has long advocated for reforms that make it easier for employers to invest and grow in Pennsylvania, including faster permitting, competitive tax policy, regulatory modernization, infrastructure investment, and workforce development.

“Businesses make investment decisions based on competitiveness,” Bernstein said. “The policies Pennsylvania has adopted in recent years are helping us compete more effectively for jobs, capital investment and economic growth. That’s good news for employers, workers, and communities across our Commonwealth.”

The PA Chamber also cautioned that while the ranking is encouraging, Pennsylvania’s work is far from finished.

“Our goal shouldn’t be No. 13,” Bernstein said. “Our goal is to be the best. Through the Keystone Initiative, the PA Chamber has laid out a bipartisan roadmap to make Pennsylvania the most competitive state in the nation to do business. This latest ranking from CNBC shows what’s possible when policymakers prioritize growth, and we have to keep our foot on the gas.”

While Pennsylvania improved overall across a number of categories in CNBC’s “Top States for Business Rankings,” rising from 17th to 13th, with notable gains in infrastructure, quality of life, cost of doing business, technology & innovation, access to capital, and cost of living, it continues to lag badly in workforce and business friendliness.

The PA Chamber continues to call on state elected leaders to advance policies that strengthen Pennsylvania’s competitive position, including maintaining the phased improvements to business taxes, further modernizing the permitting process, supporting energy development, investing in workforce solutions, and pursuing additional reforms that encourage private-sector investment.