As they say in Texas, it ain’t bragging if you can do it, and two new surveys will no doubt give the Lone Star State plenty to talk about.
Texas ranked No. 1 on Development Counsellors International’s 2011 Winning Strategies Report, in which corporate executives with site selection responsibilities were asked to choose the state with the most favorable business climate. Texas got almost half the votes for most favorable in the DCI survey, followed by a quartet of Sunbelt states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.
Keys to Texas’ success in the DCI survey: Its tax climate, business climate and economic development incentives.
Area Development magazine asked site location consultants to rank their top five states for doing business based on 12 site-selection categories, including business environment, labor climate, infrastructure and economy.
Texas came out on top in overall business environment, with business climate, costs and incentives cited among the major reasons. Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Indiana rounded out the top five overall for Area Development.
The only northern state in the top five in either survey, Indiana was ranked first for its rail and highway accessibility, and second as a leader in economic recovery in the Area Development survey.
