Area Development’s 13th Annual “Top States for Doing Business” Survey of Consultants Indicates Locations Providing an Environment for Business Growth — Georgia Ranks #1

Area Development, the leading site selection and facility planning publication, announces the results of its 2022 Top States for Doing Business survey. According to the results, the Top 10 States for Doing Business are Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Mississippi, in that order.

Area Development asked a select group of consultants who work with a nationwide client base to name their top state choices in 13 categories that impact companies’ location and facility plans. The states were ranked based on their number of mentions in each category, and total mentions were calculated to rank the top 20 states overall.

“Area Development’s Top States for Doing Business Survey polls selected site location consultants who are responsible for their clients’ decisions that each year result in hundreds of new facility locations or expansions, billions of dollars in capex, and millions of square feet in new construction, but most importantly create thousands of new U.S. jobs,” said Publisher & President Dennis J. Shea.

For the ninth year in a row, Georgia ranks first among the states, ranking #1 for its overall cost of doing business, business incentives programs, competitive labor market, workforce development programs, logistics and infrastructure, available real estate, and cooperative and responsive state government.

Ranking second overall, Tennessee is tied with Georgia for a #1 ranking for energy availability and costs. Tennessee is also in the #1 spot for site-readiness programs, while Alabama is #1 for its speed of project permitting.

Texas ranks first for its corporate tax structure, while South Carolina is #1 for its favorable regulatory environment. And although California only ranks 16^th overall, the state continues to lead when it comes to access to capital and funding.

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

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.

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