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Consultants Recognize States’ Competitiveness in Area Development Magazine’s 9th Annual “Top States for Doing Business” Survey — Georgia Ranks #1

Area Development, the leading publication covering site selection and facility planning, has announced the results of its 2018 Top States for Doing Business survey of leading location consultants. According to the results, the Top-10 States for Doing Business are Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and Florida in that order.

Area Development asked a select group of well-respected location consultants who work with a nationwide client base to name their top-state choices in 11 site selection categories that impact companies’ location and facility plans:

• Overall cost of doing business

• Corporate tax environment

• Business incentives programs

• Access to capital and project funding

• Competitive labor environment

• Leading workforce development programs

• Shovel-ready sites program

• Cooperative and responsive state government

• Favorable general regulatory environment

• Favorable utility rates

• Most improved economic development policies

The states in each category were ranked based on their number of mentions in the particular category, and total mentions in all 11 categories were calculated to rank the top 20 states overall.

For the fifth year in a row, Georgia ranked first among the states by ranking within the top five spots in all 11 categories, including #1 for cooperative and responsive state government as well as leading workforce development programs. Georgia was also tied for #1 with Alabama in the favorable general regulatory environment category.

Ranked second overall, Texas ranked #1 for its overall cost of doing business, corporate tax environment, and competitive labor environment. Finishing third overall, Alabama ranked #1 for its favorable utility rates and most improved economic development policies. Ranking fourth overall, Tennessee ranked #1 for its shovel-ready sites program. Fifth-ranked South Carolina was #1 for its business incentives programs, and California took the #1 spot for access to capital and project funding.

A full review of this year’s Top States for Doing Business, along with commentary on the results, is presented in the Q3 issue of Area Development magazine and posted online at www.areadevelopment.com/topStates.

Area Development is published quarterly and also maintains several highly visited websites, which can be reached at www.areadevelopment.com. It also has produced more than 50 Best Practices Consultants Forums for economic developers since 2006.

Contacts:

Area Development Magazine
Gerri Gambale, 516-338-0900 Ext. 211
Editor
gerri@areadevelopment.com

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