On the other hand, we are seeing more competition for two reasons, the first being national wage compression. Manufacturing and distribution wage rates are going up everywhere. Eighteen months ago, $13–$14 an hour starting pay has been replaced by $16–$17 even without a change in minimum wage laws. Supplemental unemployment insurance is part of that, but employers are telling us that these workers are also demanding more flexibility and work-life balance since they can’t enjoy the benefits of work-from-home. At the highest skill levels, we are also hearing employers say they are not finding big savings in what used to be lower-cost markets for engineers, programmers, and scientists.
Secondly, there are so few ready-to-go sites that second-tier markets are showing up well compared to the usual target markets if they have created a real pipeline of accessible and utility-served parcels.
TOP STATES FOR DOING BUSINESS 2021
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Texas
- 3. Tennessee
- 4. South Carolina
- 5. North Carolina
- 6. Alabama
- 7. Indiana
- 8. Virginia
- 9. Ohio
- 10. Florida
- 11. Arizona
- 12. Mississippi
- 13. Louisiana
- 14. California
- 15. Nevada
- 16. Kentucky
- 17. Utah
- 18. Oklahoma
- 19. New York
- 20. Kansas
Individual Categories
Overall Cost of Doing Business
- 1. Georgia
- 2T. North Carolina
- 2T. Alabama
- 4T. Texas
- 4T. Tennessee
- 4T. South Carolina
- 7. Mississippi
- 8. Indiana
- 9T. Florida
- 9T. Arizona
Business Incentives Programs
- 1. South Carolina
- 2. Georgia
- 3. Alabama
- 4. Tennessee
- 5T. Indiana
- 5T. Mississippi
- 7T. North Carolina
- 7T. Virginia
- 7T. Louisiana
- 10. Texas
Access to Capital & Project Funding
- 1. California
- 2. Texas
- 3. New York
- 4. Massachusetts
- 5. Georgia
- 6. North Carolina
- 7. Illinois
- 8. Florida
- 9T. Tennessee
- 9T. Arizona
Competitive Labor Environment
- 1T. Georgia
- 1T. Texas
- 3. North Carolina
- 4. Florida
- 5T. Tennessee
- 5T. Virginia
- 5T. Arizona
- 8. Indiana
- 9T. South Carolina
- 9T. Alabama
Workforce Development Programs
- 1. Georgia
- 2T. Virginia
- 2T. Louisiana
- 4. South Carolina
- 5. Alabama
- 6T. North Carolina
- 6T. Tennessee
- 8T. Arizona
- 8T. Ohio
- 10T. Texas
- 10T. Florida
- 10T. California
Energy Availability & Costs
- 1. Tennessee
- 2. Georgia
- 3. Texas
- 4. North Carolina
- 5. Washington
- 6T. South Carolina
- 6T. Kentucky
- 8T. Arizona
- 8T. Alabama
- 10. Oklahoma
Logistics & Infrastructure
- 1. Texas
- 2. Georgia
- 3T. Tennessee
- 3T. Indiana
- 5T. Virginia
- 5T. South Carolina
- 7. Ohio
- 8. California
- 9. North Carolina
- 10T. Kentucky
- 10T. Illinois
Site-Readiness Programs
- 1. Tennessee
- 2. Georgia
- 3. North Carolina
- 4T. South Carolina
- 4T. Ohio
- 6T. Virginia
- 6T. Indiana
- 8. Alabama
- 9T. Texas
- 9T. Arizona
- 9T. Kentucky
Available Real Estate
- 1T. Texas
- 1T. Georgia
- 3. North Carolina
- 4T. Ohio
- 4T. South Carolina
- 6. Tennessee
- 7T. Arizona
- 7T. Alabama
- 9. Indiana
- 10. Florida
Cooperative & Responsive State Government
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Tennessee
- 3. Indiana
- 4. South Carolina
- 5. North Carolina
- 6T. Alabama
- 6T. Virginia
- 8. Mississippi
- 9. Arizona
- 10T. Texas
- 10T. Ohio
Corporate Tax Environment
- 1. Texas
- 2. Florida
- 3T. Nevada
- 3T. North Carolina
- 5. Tennessee
- 6. Ohio
- 7T. Indiana
- 7T. South Dakota
- 9. Georgia
- 10T. Utah
- 10T. Wyoming
Favorable Regulatory Environment
- 1. South Carolina
- 2. Texas
- 3T. Georgia
- 3T. Alabama
- 5. Indiana
- 6. Tennessee
- 7. Mississippi
- 8T. Arizona
- 8T. Nevada
- 10T. North Carolina
- 10T. Florida
- 10T. Utah
Speed of Permitting
- 1. Alabama
- 2. South Carolina
- 3. Georgia
- 4. Mississippi
- 5. Texas
- 6. Tennessee
- 7. Virginia
- 8. North Carolina
- 9T. Arizona
- 9T. Louisiana
- 9T. Indiana
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Categories:
- Overall Cost of Doing Business
- Business Incentive Programs
- Access to Capital & Project Funding
- Competitive Labor Environment
- Workforce Development Programs
- Energy Availability & Costs
- Logistics & Infrastructure
- Site-Readiness Programs
- Available Real Estate
- Cooperative & Responsive State Government
- Corporate Tax Environment
- Favorable Regulatory Environment
- Speed of Permitting