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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

2021 Top States Commentary: A Look Behind the Rankings

While the top states overall remain consistent year-over-year, a deep dive into the data shows some interesting movement in the rankings.

Q3 2021
There was some slight movement at the top of the Top States for Doing Business survey, and, yes, the Southeast fared well once again. A deep dive into the data, however, will show some interesting movement in the rankings. Was this caused by one year’s worth of polling, desktop site selection during COVID, a few bad projects? Alternatively, does this data reveal trends worth noting?

Let’s take a closer look. 
  • Utah drops from #7 to #11 in the Competitive Labor Market. This is a location our clients with office and/or manufacturing needs are asking about, and the state’s success is partially attributable to the cost increases in Denver and Phoenix. We’ll have to wait until next year to see if this is a one-year drop or if all those wins substantially tightened the labor market. One truly has to visit Salt Lake to understand the possibilities, and widespread travel restrictions could account for Utah’s lower score.
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  • In back-to-back years, California doesn’t make the list for logistics. My rationale for this is California is a great place from which to serve the West Coast, but if at all possible (and it’s usually not), companies avoid the Republic.
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  • North Carolina (#5) and South Carolina (#4) have new secretaries of Commerce leading their teams. Can they keep up the momentum?
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  • Taxes matter. Florida (#2 for Corporate Tax Environment) sees a large influx of financial positions bolstering the wages and disposable income in beachfront communities. This has been happening for years, but in 2020 this trend accelerated — possibly aided by reduced COVID restrictions. 
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  • Arizona is top 10 in every category except Corporate Tax Environment, Business Incentives, and Logistics and Infrastructure. These are extremely important categories depending on the project, but with a strong labor market, workforce training, land availability, and energy costs, expect to see more projects here. The state is heavily reliant on Phoenix, so changes in the nearby markets will affect its rankings.
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TOP STATES FOR DOING BUSINESS 2021

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

Individual Categories

Overall Cost of Doing Business

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

Business Incentives Programs

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

Access to Capital & Project Funding

  1. 1. California
  2. 2. Texas
  3. 3. New York
  4. 4. Massachusetts
  5. 5. Georgia
  6. 6. North Carolina
  7. 7. Illinois
  8. 8. Florida
  9. 9T. Tennessee
  10. 9T. Arizona

Competitive Labor Environment

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

Workforce Development Programs

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

Energy Availability & Costs

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

Logistics & Infrastructure

  1. 1. Texas
  2. 2. Georgia
  3. 3T. Tennessee
  4. 3T. Indiana
  5. 5T. Virginia
  6. 5T. South Carolina
  7. 7. Ohio
  8. 8. California
  9. 9. North Carolina
  10. 10T. Kentucky
  11. 10T. Illinois

Site-Readiness Programs

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

Available Real Estate

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

Cooperative & Responsive State Government

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

Corporate Tax Environment

  1. 1. Texas
  2. 2. Florida
  3. 3T. Nevada
  4. 3T. North Carolina
  5. 5. Tennessee
  6. 6. Ohio
  7. 7T. Indiana
  8. 7T. South Dakota
  9. 9. Georgia
  10. 10T. Utah
  11. 10T. Wyoming

Favorable Regulatory Environment

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

Speed of Permitting

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

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