exclusives
40th Annual Corporate and 22nd Annual Consultant Site Selection Survey Results
Area Development Research Desk (Q1 2026)
For decades, the bedrock question of corporate site selection was some version of the same calculation: where can we do this most cheaply? That era is not simply fading. According to the results of Area Development's 2026 Annual Survey of Site Selection Consultants, it has ended. Welcome to the new era of operational certainty. More
Leading Metro Locations 2025: Smaller Markets, Stronger Momentum
Andy Greiner, Editor, Area Development (Q4 2025)
Smaller and mid-sized U.S. metros are outpacing big cities, leveraging workforce agility, affordability, and livability to redefine competitiveness and attract investment in 2025. More
2025’s Top States for Business: How the Winners Are Outpacing the Rest
Kimberly Graulein, Staff Writer, Area Development (Q3 2025)
Speed, workforce alignment, and energy infrastructure now define the best states for doing business — not just incentives or tax breaks. Our exclusive rankings break down how the top performers are staying ahead in a tightening market. More
20th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Andy Greiner, Editor, Area Development (Q2 2025)
Two decades of dealmaking, diversification, and economic momentum — this year’s Shovel Awards celebrate the states digging deepest to build the future. More
39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection
Andy Greiner, Editor, Area Development (Q1 2025)
The findings from Area Development’s annual surveys provide a comprehensive look at how decision-makers are navigating the current landscape and what factors are shaping their investment plans. More
2024's Leading Metro Locations: U.S. Cities on the Rise Amid an Economic Reshuffling
Area Development Research Desk (Q4 2024)
Area Development’s 2024 Leading Metro Locations report reveals shifting dynamics in America’s cities. More
Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
Andy Greiner, Editor, Area Development (Q3 2024)
Certain states just have the right ingredients for attracting and nurturing business growth. The 2024 Top States for Doing Business rankings are in, and guess what? The Southern states are shining bright once again. More
19th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2024)
Economic growth shines at the Area Development Shovel Awards, with states like South Carolina and Louisiana leading the charge. Discover which regions are driving innovation and sustainability in industries from automotive to green technology. More
38th Annual Corporate Survey: Are Unrealized Predictions of an Economic Slump Leading Small to Mid-Size Companies to Put Off Expansion Plans?
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q1 2024)
Small and mid-size firms — which account for most of our Corporate Survey respondents — are holding their plans for new and expanded facilities in check despite economic news being better than what had been predicted. More
20th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Prioritize Access to Skilled Labor, Responsive State & Local Government
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q1 2024)
The responding consultants say economic pressures are creating the biggest potential impact for their clients’ location and expansion plans, with finding available skilled labor being the most important concern. More
2023's Leading Metro Locations: Hotspots of Economic Growth
Area Development Research Desk and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q4 2023)
The leading metro areas are those poised for long-term growth and are often hubs of high-tech industry, where workers may benefit from an affordable cost of living. More
2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2023)
The states considered the best locations for doing business according to an expert panel of location consultants are the highest performers in more than a dozen categories upon which companies make their site selection decisions. More
EV and Semiconductor Projects Stand Out in States Receiving Area Development’s 18th Annual Shovel Awards
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2023)
With concerns about climate change now supplanting pandemic fears, projects to produce EVs — and the semiconductors used by vehicles and other high-tech goods — come to the forefront in this year’s Shovel Awards report. More
19th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Challenged by Tight Labor Market, Energy Availability
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2023)
Consultants responding to our survey say economic conditions are affecting their clients’ expansion/investment plans, with labor and energy availability and costs of prime concern. More
37th Annual Corporate Survey: Economic Pressures Exerting Greatest Effect on Decision-Makers
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2023)
Companies looking to grow are facing an historically tight labor market and rising costs, but their plans to invest may be buoyed by recent government legislation. More
2022 Top States for Doing Business Provide an Environment for Business Growth
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2022)
The "Top States" report looks at some of the places ripe for successfully growing and doing business based on the views of our expert panel of consultants. More
Area Development’s 17th Annual Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts — First Two Platinum Shovels Awarded
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)
Area Development’s annual Shovel Awards highlight the nation’s swift post-pandemic economic recovery in 2021 with many projects being initiated that represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of new jobs. More
36th Annual Corporate Survey: Executives Focus on Labor, Energy, Shipping Costs
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2022)
A tight labor market, supply chain challenges, and rising costs have resulted in some surprising changes in corporate respondents’ location priorities. More
18th Annual Consultants Survey: Access to Major Markets and Skilled Labor Are Clients’ Primary Concerns
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2022)
Supply chain considerations, the shortage of skilled workers, and a lack of industrial space are top of mind for their clients, according to consultants responding to our annual survey. More
The 2021 Top States for Doing Business Reflect Their Locational Advantages
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2021)
Despite the economic uncertainty of the last year, plenty of companies continue to grow, and with growth comes the need to expand and explore new locations. The “Top States” in which to locate represent the general views of our expert panel of site consultants, with Georgia ranking #1 for the eighth year in a row. More
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)
Although 2020’s global pandemic resulted in some projects being stalled or canceled, the annual Shovel Awards recognize many other new and expanded facilities plans that are on track and expected to created thousands of jobs and billions in investment. More
35th Annual Corporate Survey: Effects of Global Pandemic Reflected in Executives’ Site and Facility Plans
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2021)
As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our corporate readers’ location plans and priorities as they increased their resiliency efforts. More
17th Annual Consultants Survey: Consultants Are Optimistic About the Year Ahead
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2021)
Those responding to the Consultants Survey express optimism about their clients’ plans for the year ahead while acknowledging their increased focus on costs and logistics going forward. More
2020 Top States for Doing Business Showcase Their Pro-Business Environments
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2020)
Despite changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the states across the South seem to have all their ducks in a row when it comes to attracting business. More
2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2020)
While the current COVID-19 crisis may put some development on “pause,” our annual Shovel Awards recognize states that garnered large job-creating and investment projects over the course of the previous year. More
34th Annual Corporate Survey & the 16th Annual Consultants Survey
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2020)
Plans for new and expanded facilities among the smaller firms (in terms of employment numbers) responding to our Corporate Survey are not as robust as those of larger firms that employ consultants to help in location analysis and site decisions. More
2019 Leading Metro Locations: Pacific and South-Atlantic Metros Dominate the List
Area Development Research Desk and Lisa A. Bastian (Q4 2019)
Metro areas that are hotbeds of technology lead the pack, joined by others showing manufacturing prowess, which has a large economic ripple effect. More
FDI Surges Ahead in Canada
Marc Beauchamp, President, SCI Global (Location Canada 2019)
Canada continues to be a premier investment destination and is dedicated to protecting its key industries, investing in innovation, and developing its workforce. More
2019 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Sixth Year in a Row
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2019)
The top-ranked states have landed on the radar of today’s site selection consultants because of their low business costs, generous incentive programs, and competitive labor environments, among other probusiness advantages. More2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recipients Garnered Large Job-Creating and Investment Projects in Diverse Industries
Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)
While e-commerce was creating thousands of jobs across the nation last year, high-profile, diverse projects in the manufacturing, information technology, financial services, energy, and other sectors were also making news. More
A Site Selector’s Checklist for Locating in the U.S.
Dan Levine, Practice Leader, Location Strategies and Economic Development, Oxford Economics, Inc. (Location USA 2019)
From choosing a property to recruiting workers to navigating tax and regulatory considerations, challenges will occur — but with the right strategy and the help of an EDO, they can be mitigated. More
33rd Annual Corporate Survey & the 15th Annual Consultants Survey
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2019)
Our survey Results indicate that despite an uncertain operating environment and continuing concerns about the availability of skilled labor, plans for new and expanded facilities still are on the horizon. More
Canada Remains A Premier Investment Destination
Marc Beauchamp, President, SCI Global (Location Canada 2018)
Despite the uncertain investment environment brought about by renegotiation of NAFTA and new U.S.-imposed tariffs, Canada continues to promote FDI by maintaining an open economy, investing in its workforce, and engaging in regional trade partnerships. More
2018 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Fifth Year in a Row
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2018)
Competitive labor environments and leading workforce development programs, low taxes and utility costs, favorable regulatory environments, and cooperative state governments are among the top-ranked states’ pro-business attributes. More
2018 Leading Metro Locations: Pacific and Mountain Metros Dominate the List
Area Development Research Desk and Karen Thuermer, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)
The 2018 Leading Metro Locations reflect the nation’s overall economic growth as the country enjoys the second-longest economic expansion on record, with many small and mid-size metros exhibiting economic strength. More
2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize States’ Efforts to Attract High-Value Investment & Large Job-Creating Projects
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)
More than 200 projects across multiple states brought with them the promise -- in total -- of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment. More
32nd Annual Corporate Survey & the 14th Annual Consultants Survey
Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2018)
Although the U.S. economy is strong, there may still be some hesitancy in investment decisions brought about by an uncertain legislative environment. More
2017 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Fourth Year in a Row
Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2017)
The top-ranked states have committed to adding value as economic development leaders and problem-solvers, characteristics that are recognized by consultants to industry. More