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2022 Top States Commentary: Education, Training, and Quality of Life Reflected in State Rankings

It’s not surprising that states ranking in the top five spots have strong educational and workforce training systems as well as high quality of life.

Q3 2022
We all know that data is important to any site consultant, but reliable data is vital. One of the reasons that Area Development’s rankings are so dependable is that they rely on consultants’ reporting, not on state representatives.

While looking at the overall rankings, I am surprised that Virginia did not make top five [based on] the strength of Virginia’s public education and the fact that Virginia was the top-ranked state for business by CNBC in 2021 (third in 2022). But the cost of living in many parts of the state has made it harder to attract and retain workers.

Being a Texan, I love to see my home state in top five but thought it should have been top three. The workforce is overflowing in Texas with skilled and diversified labor. Also, Texas has a high quality of life, which attracts so many new residents and businesses. [I believe] the reason Texas is not in the top 1 or 2 (even with all the new businesses the state has attracted) is low ratings for healthcare and inclusion [ranking near the very bottom in the CNBC report].

Lastly, I’m impressed by the continued growth of South Carolina. Their high-quality work force is strengthened through state workforce training systems like readySC. The state provides strong incentives programs along with a friendly business environment, which makes it a force to be reckoned with on the East Coast.

TOP STATES FOR DOING BUSINESS 2022

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Tennessee
  3. 3. South Carolina
  4. 4. Texas
  5. 5. North Carolina
  6. 6. Alabama
  7. 7. Virginia
  8. 8. Ohio
  9. 9. Indiana
  10. 10. Mississippi
  11. 11. Florida
  12. 12. Louisiana
  13. 13. Arizona
  14. 14. Michigan
  15. 15. New York
  16. 16T. California
  17. 16T. Illinois
  18. 18. Kentucky
  19. 19T. Oklahoma
  20. 19T. Utah

Individual Categories

Workforce Development Programs

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Virginia
  3. 3. South Carolina
  4. 4T. Alabama
  5. 4T. Louisiana
  6. 6. Tennessee
  7. 7. North Carolina
  8. 8T. Arizona
  9. 8T. Michigan
  10. 8T. Texas

Overall Cost of Doing Business

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Tennessee
  3. 3. South Carolina
  4. 4. Alabama
  5. 5. North Carolina
  6. 6. Texas
  7. 7T. Indiana
  8. 7T. Mississippi
  9. 9T. Arizona
  10. 9T. Florida
  11. 9T. Ohio

Site-Readiness Programs

  1. 1. Tennessee
  2. 2. Georgia
  3. 3. South Carolina
  4. 4T. North Carolina
  5. 4T. Ohio
  6. 6. Virginia
  7. 7T. Indiana
  8. 7T. Texas
  9. 9. New York
  10. 10. Alabama

Cooperative & Responsive State Government

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2T. North Carolina
  3. 2T. Tennessee
  4. 4. South Carolina
  5. 5. Ohio
  6. 6. Virginia
  7. 7. Louisiana
  8. 8T. Alabama
  9. 8T. Arizona
  10. 8T. Arkansas
  11. 8T. Michigan
  12. 8T. Mississippi
  13. 8T. Texas

Favorable Regulatory Environment

  1. 1. South Carolina
  2. 2. Georgia
  3. 3T. Alabama
  4. 3T. Tennessee
  5. 5. North Carolina
  6. 6. Indiana
  7. 7. Texas
  8. 8. Florida
  9. 9T. Arizona
  10. 9T. Virginia
  11. 10T. Louisiana
  12. 10T. Mississippi

Corporate Tax Structure

  1. 1. Texas
  2. 2. Tennessee
  3. 3. Florida
  4. 4. North Carolina
  5. 5. Nevada
  6. 6T. Georgia
  7. 6T. South Dakota
  8. 8T. Alabama
  9. 8T. Indiana
  10. 8T. Utah

Business Incentives Programs

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. South Carolina
  3. 3. Tennessee
  4. 4. Ohio
  5. 5. Alabama
  6. 6. Indiana
  7. 7. Virginia
  8. 8T. Mississippi
  9. 8T. North Carolina
  10. 10T. Kentucky
  11. 10T. Louisiana
  12. 10T. Texas

Competitive Labor Environment

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2T. Texas
  3. 2T. Tennessee
  4. 4. North Carolina
  5. 5. South Carolina
  6. 6T. Arizona
  7. 6T. Michigan
  8. 8T. Ohio
  9. 8T. Virginia
  10. 10. Alabama

Logistics & Infrastructure

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2. Virginia
  3. 3T. Ohio
  4. 3T. Texas
  5. 5. Indiana
  6. 6. South Carolina
  7. 7. Tennessee
  8. 8. Illinois
  9. 9. North Carolina
  10. 10. Florida

Access to Capital & Funding

  1. 1. California
  2. 2. Texas
  3. 3. New York
  4. 4T. Massachusetts
  5. 4T. Virginia
  6. 6. Illinois
  7. 7. Georgia
  8. 8T. Michigan
  9. 8T. North Carolina
  10. 10T. Colorado
  11. 10T. Tennessee

Available Real Estate

  1. 1. Georgia
  2. 2T. South Carolina
  3. 2T. Texas
  4. 4. Tennessee
  5. 5. Ohio
  6. 6. North Carolina
  7. 7T. Alabama
  8. 7T. Indiana
  9. 9. Michigan
  10. 10T. California
  11. 10T. Florida
  12. 10T. Illinois

Energy Availability & Costs

  1. 1T. Georgia
  2. 1T. Tennessee
  3. 3T. Alabama
  4. 3T. North Carolina
  5. 5. Mississippi
  6. 6T. Louisiana
  7. 6T. South Carolina
  8. 8T. Iowa
  9. 8T. New York
  10. 8T. Ohio
  11. 8T. Oklahoma
  12. 8T. Texas
  13. 8T.

Speed of Project Permitting

  1. 1. Alabama
  2. 2T. Georgia
  3. 2T. South Carolina
  4. 4. Tennessee
  5. 5T. Mississippi
  6. 5T. Texas
  7. 7T. Arizona
  8. 7T. Indiana
  9. 7T. Louisiana
  10. 10. Virginia

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