For the 10th straight year, Area Development Magazine named Georgia number one on its annual list of “Top States for Doing Business” report.
Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA), joined by former Governor, Nathan Deal (R), members of the general assembly and state and local economic developers, made the announcement earlier this month.
“For 10 straight years, the people who help businesses choose where to make long-term investments have repeatedly said Georgia is the best state in the nation for opportunity,” said Kemp. “Despite the unprecedented challenges we’ve seen in recent years, men and women across Georgia continued putting in countless hours of hard work for their communities.”
The magazine’s report collects information from about 50 site consulting firms in the U.S. This is the 14th year the magazine has published the results.
The review is based on more than a dozen specific categories including business incentive programs, workforce development, access to capital funding, and available real estate along with site selection programs.
“As you look through the individual lists of what makes a state a great place to do business, you will find Georgia uniformly at or near the top of most of them,” said Area Development Staff Editor, Steve Kaelble. “The state has carefully assembled most of the building blocks that location decision-makers are looking for, and that work translates into success on this ranking.”
South Carolina also fared well in the report. It is listed as the second-best state for doing business in 2023. The Palmetto State is ranked first in several categories.
South Carolina tops for both available real estate and site readiness programs. The report singles out a program managed by the state’s Department of Commerce.
“The state’s Department of Commerce operates a LocateSC.com service designed to simplify the search for sites that are good candidates, and the Palmetto Sites program vets sites to verify critical information and assure they are checked for readiness,” the magazine wrote.
Although Georgia leads in the scope and types of business incentive programs, South Carolina is hot on its heels, coming in at number two.
“State and local sales tax exemptions lower manufacturing costs. Service-oriented businesses such as data centers, along with enterprises in other sectors, can earn their own exemptions by investing and creating jobs, according to the report.”
One area in which Georgia shines is workforce development. It has ranked first each year since the magazine began publishing the review.
“Georgia sits atop the list of states with the best workforce training opportunities,” noted Area Development. “At the heart is the state’s Quick Start program. It’s offered through the Technical College System of Georgia and delivers customized training targeted at new and expanding businesses. Companies in manufacturing, biotechnology, information technology, and other sectors need tech-savvy workers with specific skills, and this program has helped attract those businesses to Georgia.”
The full report is available on the magazine’s website:
