Louisiana ranks among the top 10 states in the nation for economic development initiatives, Site Selection magazine announced today.
The state ranks No. 10 in the magazine’s Prosperity Cup rankings for 2017.
In its evaluation of economic development performance by each of the 50 states, the magazine cited Louisiana’s record of new and expanded facilities, capital investment and substantial job creation.
This is Louisiana’s seventh Top 10 showing in the past nine years in the Prosperity Cup, which formerly was known as the Top Competitive States rankings. Louisiana ranked No. 11 in 2016.
“Louisiana is a top-tier state for business,” Gov. John Bel Edwards says in the announcement. “This Top 10 showing in the Prosperity Cup rankings is a recognition of our hard work to create and sustain a healthy business climate in Louisiana. We will continue to attract new industries and businesses and encourage business expansions to provide the best jobs and economic opportunities for our citizens.”
Since 2012, Louisiana has attracted more than $125 billion in active capital investment projects, with $65 billion of that investment now under construction or in the engineering and permitting phases.
The Site Selection rankings calculate the total points a state-level economic development agency receives primarily based on the number of significant new and expanded facility announcements. Louisiana made the Top 10 for 2017 with a score of 347. The No. 1 state in the rankings, North Carolina, had 410 points. Louisiana also ranked fourth among eight states in the highly competitive South Central Region.
Louisiana currently places among the Top 10 states in several business climate rankings. In March, the annual Governor’s Cup rankings by Site Selection placed Louisiana No. 4 in the U.S. for states that announced the most new and expanded corporate facilities on a per capita basis in 2016. Southern Business & Development ranked Louisiana No. 1 among Southern states for attracting the most significant capital investment and job-creation projects per capita for the seventh year in a row. Area Development ranked Louisiana No. 5 in its annual “Top States for Doing Business” report, and Louisiana was ranked No. 7 in the Site Selection “Best States for Business” report, its seventh consecutive year in the Top 10.
Additionally, Business Facilities has named LED FastStart the nation’s best workforce training program for the past seven consecutive years, describing the program as “the gold standard for workforce training solutions.”
