Despite inflation and supply chain issues, the economy is showing signs of bouncing back to normal from the two-year malaise of the pandemic. According to the most recent Advance Estimates of U.S. Retail and Food Services issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce, retail and food services sales increased by 0.9 percent in April from March, but were up 8.2 percent over April 2021. The biggest gains came in the areas most affected by lockdowns and the general wariness caused by covid. The generic retail stores’ category grew 4 percent

Area Development Magazine ranked Georgia as the No. 1 state for business for the eighth consecutive year in October 2021. They polled 50 private consulting firms and Georgia received top scores for the cost of doing business, government cooperation, and labor market competitiveness. CNBC, however, said Virginia was the top state for business with Georgia coming in at eighth. CNBC uses 85 metrics across 10 categories of competitiveness, including access to capital, education, and technology and innovation. When economists study choices we prefer to see revealed preferences rather than surveys