Southern states dominate rankings

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(The Center Square) – Southern states swept the top ranking for having the best business climate in the U.S. according to the latest annual Site Selection magazine survey.

Texas and North Carolina were the two states with two cities ranking in the top 10 for corporate headquarter relocations. Dallas ranked first, Austin ranked sixth. Charlotte ranked second; Raleigh ranked fifth.

The biggest shake-up in the ratings Texas has fallen from its former most sensitive spot in the ratings. For years, Texas has ranked first for having the most productive business climate. This year, that has changed, with Georgia occupying the most sensitive spot. .

Georgia followed through North Carolina and South Carolina, circulating to the three most sensible. Texas is tied to Tennessee for the fourth place climate.

Most of the corporate headquarters cities were also in the south, according to the survey. Dallas classified first, followed through Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh, Austin, Chicago, Richmond, Memphis, Phoenix and San Diego.

Dallas receiving the top ranking “should come as no surprise,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. “Dallas has been on an economic winning streak in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down heading into 2025. Texas has rightly earned its reputation as the ideal state to do business, and this recognition reinforces Dallas as the best city not just in Texas, but in the entire nation for businesses.”

Site selectors “tend to favor southern states,” the magazine says, because their business climates offer “labor, state and local tax policy, and a burden of living. “They also benefit from incentives offered through states, in terms of quality of life and employee education programs, according to the survey.

Tess Fay, director and vice president of South Carolina-based Global Location Strategies, said: “The South has logistics and infrastructure merit that has made it attractive for projects like the ones GLS is working on. Combined with a relatively low fee environment and relatively favorable trade policies, they continue to set a precedent for many of our clients. Key differentiators also come with economic progression infrastructure and stock availability, he said.

This year, 36 sites selectors participated in the survey, which covered problems that went from “the business climate to how prices, innovation centers and the importance of the availability of electricity”.

Site selectors said California and New Jersey have the worst business climates; South Carolina, Ohio and Michigan have the manufacturing workforce.

The five most sensible states in the South “account for about 60% of all of our consumer inquiries and state-specific location studies,” said John Boyd Jr. , principal of Boyd Company Inc. , a national consulting firm with offices in Florida and New Jersey. Says.

“The South wins the business climate race because of things like the demographic shift to the South, investments into site readiness, workforce training programs, the availability of incentives, lower costs and lower taxes, sound tax and fiscal policies, and positive labor-management relations,” Boyd added. “Having seasoned economic development professionals at the state and local levels and at major utility companies doing a superior job servicing consultant inquiries and promoting these states.”

He also said that South Carolina ranked first in having the most productive production thanks to its “first-level educational program -Readysc- that works hand in hand with the network of state technical universities, as well as its exceptional climate of relationship control “.

The president of Garner Economics LLC, in Atlanta, Jay Garner, said that the legislatures of the first five classified states “have worked tirelessly for years to be in favor of business. Many occupy favorable in the annual tax competitiveness index The Tax Foundation.

California and New Jersey have the worst business climate because of their high tax policies, he added.

When asked to mention the most demanding situations during the next decade, sites coach cited labor shortages, affordable homes, skills development, child care and lack of comfortable skills.

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