The survey results yield few surprises for us at Site Selection Group, and we view the top five states as largely interchangeable. As expected, the Southeastern States ranked very highly — most of them finishing in the top 12.

{{RELATEDLINKS}} Prior to the pandemic, labor markets were extremely tight across the nation, so states such as Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Texas — with a diverse set of large and mid-size metro areas — scored well. For some time, we have seen projects skewing to the periphery of these larger markets to mid-size communities.

States with responsive workforce training programs also tend to distinguish themselves from the competition. Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina (the top three states in the survey) have workforce training programs that are particularly noteworthy. SSG also gives high marks to the state of Louisiana in this regard.

Four of the top five states have strong utility partners, which we have long seen as a key ingredient to economic development success. Partners such as Duke Energy, the Southern Company, TVA, and a coalition of utilities across the state of South Carolina have greatly aided project management and site selection for SSG clients.

We note North Carolina’s emergence in the top five. We have seen this state do much in recent years to improve its competitive posture by actions such as a complete overhaul of its financial incentive programs. And Texas and Florida have again ranked well in the survey due to their pro-business tax structure, superior infrastructure, and strong local programs in economic development.