Site Selection Ranks North Carolina 5th Most Competitive State for Business


North Carolina was once again among Site Selection’s Top-Ten Competitive States of 2011. In the May 2012 edition of the magazine, North Carolina is listed as the number five most competitive state in the nation for business.

The annual ranking is based a review of 2011 economic development projects. Included in the list of criteria reviewed are:

  • The number of new and expanded facilities;
  • Capital investment in new and expanded facilities;
  • The number of new jobs created; and
  • State unemployment rate (US BEA);

In addition, the following performance indexes are also incorporated into each state’s score:

  • Rank in the corporate real estate executive portion of the 2011 Site Selection Business Climate Ranking;
  • State tax climate as ranked by the Tax Foundation; and
  • Performance in the Beacon Hill Institute’s State Competitiveness Index.

North Carolina is currently ranked third for Best Business Climate and fourth for Most New Projects and Expansions by Site Selection magazine.

The state is consistently recognized for its outstanding business climate thanks to its business friendly environment, low overall costs of doing business, productive and skilled workforce, global market access and research and development infrastructure.

VIDEO Credit Suisse: North Carolina’s Pro-Business Climate

Jim Captain, Managing Director for Credit Suisse in Research Triangle Park describes how state and local government and the academic and business communities work together to support business growth in North Carolina in this Thrive video.

Read more in Site Selection.