North Carolina ranked No. 4 in CNBC's annual survey of "America's Top States for Business."

According to CNBC's report, North Carolina continued to perform well in the work force category, placing third. In addition, the report says that North Carolina ranked high in technology and transportation.

"Our top priorities are attracting businesses to invest and create jobs in North Carolina, and helping our existing businesses grow and expand here," Gov. Bev Perdue said in a news release. "We're going to continue spreading the word about North Carolina's great business climate, and keep working aggressively to bring companies here."

North Carolina has finished in the top 10 in all six years of CNBC's business rankings, the state news release said.

In its rankings, CNBC scored the states on more than 51 measures of competitiveness based on the cost of doing business, work force, quality of life, economy, transportation and infrastructure, technology and innovation, education, business friendliness, access to capital and cost of living.

The full report is available online at www.cnbc. com.

The announcement follows on the heels of a No. 3 ranking for the best states for business by Chief Executive, Site Selection and Forbes magazines.