Louisiana has defended its crown as the top-ranked state for Customized Workforce Training for a record 13th-consecutive year in Business Facilities’ 18th Annual Rankings Report.
“The state’s LED FastStart program continued its strong push toward equipping its workforce with the skills being sought by new and expanding companies. In 2021, the program reported 6,000+ hours of training for 32 firms in the state to provide the skilled workers to hit the ground running for business,” said BF Editorial Director, Anne Cosgrove.
Virginia retained its #2 spot in Business Facilities’ annual training ranking for its flagship workforce training and recruitment program—the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, launched in 2019.
Filling out the top five on Business Facilities’ Customized Workforce Training leaderboard are #3 Alabama, #4 Georgia, and #5 Tennessee. Also ranking in the top 10 for Customized Workforce are #6 North Carolina, #7 Texas, #8 Florida, #9 Missouri, and #10 New Mexico.
Tennessee Tops Recovery Leaders, Wyoming Shows Best Business Tax Climate
In 2021, Business Facilities added the Recovery Leaders ranking based on GDP growth over the previous 12 months. With an eye on the economic recovery of states after the COVID-19 pandemic, the category appears in the 2022 Annual Rankings Report.
One state made a repeat appearance on the Recovery Leaders list this year, and two new ones joined the leaderboard. Tennessee is the #1 Recovery Leader this year, up from #5 in 2021. This year’s #2 Recovery Leader is New Hampshire, and California earned the #3 spot.
The Best Business Tax Climate ranking this year is led by top 3—Wyoming, South Dakota, and Alaska. Drawing on evaluation from the Tax Foundation for our top 10, BF has also ranked Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, Tennessee, Indiana, and Utah, respectively, as leading locations for their business tax climates. Joining the top 10 this year is Tennessee.
Business Facilities is a national publication that has been the leading location source for corporate site selectors and economic development professionals for more than 50 years. Focused on site selection for rising industry sectors, Business Facilities’ inaugural LiveXchange Emerging Industries event takes place November 16-18, 2022 at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando. The 19th Annual Business Facilities LiveXchange will take place April 24-26 at Marina Inn at Grand Dunes in Myrtle Beach, SC.