Texas — 12+ Million Population Category The latest list of Gold Shovel Award accomplishments is filled with Texas-size headlines announced last year. Leading the way was the potential for more than 6,000 new jobs as Japanese-owned NTT Data Services makes a move to a new headquarters location in Plano. Another 1,600 jobs will be created through expansion at the R&D and production facilities that Korea-based Nutribiotech USA maintains in Garland. Add to that a total of 4,000 more jobs at three diverse developments: USAA’s financial services growth in San Antonio, a new UPS shipping hub in Arlington, and expansion at a C3 customer contact center in McGregor.

To be sure, there were also projects related to the traditional Texan strengths in petroleum and chemical production. These tend to be very big-ticket items, such as the $10 billion Exxon-Mobil SABIC venture in Portland, an MMEX Resources Corp. refinery in Fort Stockton, and an expansion of the Agrium Inc. fertilizer facility in Borger. But there was also room for technology-related news, including the plan for Finisar Corp. to expand by 500 jobs in optical communications components manufacturing in Sherman.

North Carolina — 8+ Million to 12 Million Category The job market in Charlotte is in good hands with Allstate, thanks to the insurer’s announcement that it plans to expand its operations center. The plan would add 2,250 jobs to the 1,400 already there and is one of the reasons North Carolina landed a Gold Shovel recognition. Credit Suisse, meanwhile, will expand its financial services operations in the Research Triangle Park area, and that 1,200-job announcement was followed later in the year by a 2,000-job pledge from Infosys, with a tech hub plan that’s also in the Raleigh area.

North Carolina boasts a solid and diverse manufacturing scene, too, which is reflected in its 2017 list of success stories. Triangle Tyre Co. announced plans to create 800 tire manufacturing jobs, Pilgrim’s Pride is expanding in Lee County, and the state celebrated positive headlines in both pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical packaging, and in both wood and paper products.

Wisconsin — 5+ Million to 8 Million Category The biggest economic-development prize of 2017 (and one of the very biggest ever) landed in Wisconsin last year and helped the state earn its Gold Shovel recognition. Foxconn Technology Group picked the state for an LCD manufacturing operation in Racine County worth as much as $10 billion and 13,000 jobs. The company calls itself the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, and it’s probably best known as the maker of Apple’s iPhone.

It’s a state famous for cheese, so maybe it’s not a surprise that food processing projects are high on its list of success stories — but they’re not entirely about cheese. The gummy bear business is good for nearly 400 new jobs in Pleasant Prairie, where Haribo of America is planning not just a factory but a museum and gummy bear store. The Brakebush Brothers facility in Westfield has to do with chicken processing. Dairy is part of the driving force behind the Kwik Trip food production expansion in La Crosse, along with bread and buns. And cheese is on the menu at the Masters Gallery Foods’ manufacturing project in Oostburg.

Kentucky — 3 to 5 Million Category It’s hard not to earn a Gold Shovel Award when your state lands a pair of billion-plus-dollar projects and multiple deals promising four-digit job growth. Toyota is investing $1.3 billion in its new, more nimble manufacturing system at its Georgetown assembly plant, said to be the company’s biggest manufacturing operation. The idea is to be able to make engineering and design changes more quickly.

Another hefty automotive investment, at $900 million, comes from Ford Motor Co. in Louisville, where Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators come off the line. Just south of Louisville in Shepherdsville, New Flyer of America is setting up a 550-employee bus and coach parts manufacturing facility.

The state’s other billion-dollar deal is from Amazon — $1.5 billion, actually, bringing 2,700 jobs — represents a major air cargo facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. A thousand-job project involves a Diversified Consultants call center in Louisville, and Kentucky is benefiting from growth in steel, aluminum, and chemicals.

Nevada — Fewer Than 3 Million Population Category Much of the headline activity resulting in Nevada receiving a Gold Shovel award was focused on Boulevard Mall, an iconic half-century-old center that has been diversifying into the call center business. Leading the way from a jobs-promised perspective was the announcement that 24-7 Intouch, a contact center developer with campuses in multiple communities, would add the Las Vegas area to its list with a center slated to employ more than a thousand. The IT company manages customer contacts through multiple channels, from voice and live chat to social media and email.

Just a stone’s throw away, TeleTech Holdings unveiled plans for another 450 jobs. In making the announcement, Martin DeGhetto, chief operating officer, noted that “Las Vegas provided an excellent market opportunity to create a new customer experience center, given its outstanding labor force, strong local partnerships, and availability of workforce training.” Health insurer Anthem, meanwhile, picked a spot that was a Macy’s store for a Las Vegas office.

Nevada’s major developments were diverse in nature. More than 400 new jobs are on the way in a couple of logistics-related operations announced in 2017, the automotive sector made a dent in the jobs market, and a city known for cashing in chips also landed jobs with a coin minting operation.

MethodologyArea Development’s annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities. We collected information from all 50 states about their top-10 job-creation and investment projects initiated in 2017 (only those projects that actually had monies invested, “broke ground,” began an expansion, started new hiring, etc. were considered). Based on a combination of weighted factors — including the number of new jobs to be created in relation to the state’s population, the combined dollar amount of the investments, the number of new facilities, the diversity of industry represented — five states achieving the highest weighted overall scores were awarded Area Development’s 2018 Gold Shovels in five population categories: 12+ million, 8+ to 12 million, 5+ to 8 million, 3+ to 5 million, and fewer than 3 million. Runners-up in each of these population categories were awarded 2018 Silver Shovels.