Unprecedented…pivot…disruptive…These words, and more, have been used to describe the events of the past six months and the convulsions that have literally shaken the political and economic world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

{{RELATEDLINKS}} But in reviewing this year’s rankings, there’s a remarkable amount of consistency with previous years. In fact, with few exceptions, the states that are in the top 10 are mostly the same ones that have been there (though there have been a few small changes in the order) for the past four years.

Why is that still the case even in a time of great upheaval? It’s because economic development is a long game. Sure, changes in tax and regulatory policy can impact specific projects and deals, but it is consistency and predictability that companies making expansion and relocation decisions are seeking.

Companies don’t add jobs and make investment because they are charities. In fact, Wall Street often rewards companies for cutting jobs. Instead, companies want to be in communities that will be their long-term partners. And that partnership is best demonstrated through a long-term commitment to policies that help businesses grow — fair taxes, balanced regulatory approaches, stable politics. Those policies don’t happen overnight but are the result of years, if not decades, of commitment to these principles by both political parties, at the state and local level, and result from important investments in education, research, and infrastructure.

Companies go where they are wanted and where talent is concentrated. While the changes wrought by the pandemic could bring about some changes in those dynamics as reshoring unfolds and companies look for safer locations outside of coastal metropolises, many of the states featured in this year’s findings will continue to be well positioned for many years to come.