Cover Story

Attracting foreign direct investment has become a top priority for economic development organizations seeking to leverage the status of the U.S. as the top global destination for FDI.

Today’s workforce training and talent acquisition is a multi-faceted effort that brings targeted skills to students, and new workers to locations they’ll be happy to live in.

Virginia may be for lovers, but these days the Commonwealth also is getting a ton of love from emerging high-tech growth sectors and businesses looking for the perfect corporate HQ site.

For excitement alone, we probably should call Amazon’s HQ2 the “Deal of the Century.” Jeff Bezos’ mega-project produced the first tie in the history of our annual competition.

The competition for foreign direct investment is intensifying, with locations far and wide vying to become prime destinations for FDI.

Workforce training is still job one for locations vying to compete for high-tech projects, but talent acquisition—a.k.a. recruiting—now is a critical component for success.

As cyber threats multiply at an exponential rate, an emerging cybersecurity sector tries to keep pace, with government agencies forming close alliances with world-class institutions of higher education.

From national manufacturing innovation institutes to university-led high-tech clusters and incubators, locations far and wide are stepping up to bring tomorrow’s breakthroughs to today’s market.

The 13th annual edition of our rankings report tracks growth sectors that seem to be emerging overnight from thin air in uncharted waters, telling you who’s out front in cybersecurity, offshore wind energy and the other frontiers of the 21st century.

The logistics and distribution industry is poised for a great leap forward as new technology digitally transforms the supply chain from end to end.

The most successful workforce development efforts are teaming with education resources to develop job-specific vocational studies in high schools, community colleges and universities.

The Lone Star State reaffirms its dominance as the most dynamic state economy in the U.S., an energy and exports powerhouse with a seemingly boundless potential for growth.

The U.S. will need to fill about 3.5 million jobs in advanced manufacturing in the next decade, but as many as 2 million of these jobs may remain unfilled if we don’t close the skills gap.

BF’s 12TH ANNUAL RANKINGS report is our most comprehensive analysis to date of the locations that are leading the pack in the most important benchmarks for sustainable growth in the 21st century. Part One: State Rankings.

BF’s 12TH ANNUAL RANKINGS report is our most comprehensive analysis to date of the locations that are leading the pack in the most important benchmarks for sustainable growth in the 21st century. Part Two: Metro Rankings.

States, regions, businesses and higher ed resources are joining forces in an aggressive and innovative effort to fill the skilled labor shortage in the United States.

The global life sciences industry has adopted an attitude of cautious optimism, expecting reliable growth that will fall short of pre-recession investment surges.

The Crimson Tide is rolling, big time, and now it’s brought in our top honor: Alabama is BF’s 2015 State of the Year.

Seven of nine planned federally funded national manufacturing innovation institutes are getting a head start on tomorrow’s high-growth technologies.

We’ve revamped our Metro and Global rankings this year to include some new technology oriented benchmarks.

Our 11th annual rankings report is Business Facilities’ most comprehensive evaluation to date of state, metro and international leaders in more than 50 critical categories essential to site selection choices.

There hasn’t been a lot of good economic news coming from Europe these days, but the continent is getting a much-needed boost from its growing biotech/pharma labs.

Winning the race to fill the high-tech jobs of the 21st century requires an ongoing commitment to match educational programs with future business workforce needs.

Nevada wins the most hotly contested economic development prize in years by bagging Tesla's lithium battery plant near Reno. Washington successfully pulled out all the stops to keep Boeing from leaving the state. Comcast's gleaming new tower will transform Philadelphia's skyline.

With smart new regional growth strategies and generous federal funding initiatives, high-tech hubs are springing up all over the United States.

We’re marking the 10th anniversary of our annual rankings festival by doing what we do every year: refining our rankings criteria to give you the most meaningful benchmarks of state and metro performance.

In this year’s Metro Rankings Report, we’ve taken note of the crucial role exports are playing in the Recovery for many locations by charting their success in two of our rankings categories, Exports Growth Leaders and Exports Recovery Leaders. We've also included our Global Rankings within this story.

A resurgent bioscience sector pulls Europe into recovery, while U.S. biotech leaders train the next generation of an essential skilled workforce.

An energy revolution is sweeping across the U.S., creating thousands of jobs and making it likely we’ll achieve the long-sought goal of energy independence by 2020 or sooner.

Tennessee, already an automotive powerhouse, motors into our winner’s circle with a diverse growth strategy that’s hitting on all cylinders.

Many locations are gaining an advantage in the battle for new projects with pre-certification programs for available sites. From the September/October 2013 issue.

Our 9th annual report card of the state, metro and international pecking order features more than 50 rankings categories, including new energy rankings and a close look at which locations are maintaining/upgrading critical infrastructure. From the July/August 2013 issue.

Baton Rouge tops the field in economic growth potential; China surges into the lead in renewable energy investment. From the July/August 2013 issue.

From the digitization of equipment and processes to 3D printing to materials with custom-designed properties, advanced manufacturing is driving high-tech innovation, exports and the creation on high-wage jobs. From the May/June 2013 issue.

As the global financial system continues to mend, venture capital is beginning to flow back into the biotechnology sector. In Europe, the largest biomed players are thriving, while entrepreneurial biotech start-ups gain traction in the U.S. From the March/April 2013 issue.

Baxter International's decision to make a $1.3-billion investment in an expansion of its bio/pharmaceutical manufacturing promises to propel the Peach State into the front ranks of national biotech powerhouses. From the January/February 2013 issue.

We deployed our growth detector to winnow the field for our annual showcase of leading locations. As usual, making the picks was harder than singing their praises, as all of the finalists were worthy. From the September/October 2012 issue

It's time for our annual exercise, separating wheat from chaff in the fertile fields of development. As always, our rankings point to growth potential. But in a struggling economy, we're also giving extra credit for real jobs. From the July/August 2012 issue

The global financial contraction put a squeeze on seed money for biotech startups, forcing locations to build their biotech future the old-fashioned way: with long-term planning and a comprehensive strategy for growth. From the May/June 2012 issue.

Millions of pixels are helping to create thousands of jobs in a new high-growth sector of the economy. From feature films to video games, digital media is spreading its computer-generated wings and flying, from traditional locations like California, Massachusetts and New York to up and coming industry leaders Utah, Louisiana and Rhode Island. From the March/April 2012 issue.