(The Center Square) — A national economic development trade publication ranked Georgia second in a new listing of how well states attract investment.
Site Selection placed Georgia behind only North Carolina in its 2023 edition of the Prosperity Cup. Last year, the Peach State tied for fourth with Indiana, which maintained its position on the top ten list.
The ranking measures the effectiveness of states’ economic development agencies in attracting capital investment projects based on a 10-point index.
Regionally, South Carolina ranked seventh, Tennessee ranked ninth, and Kentucky ranked fifth. The magazine noted that the southeastern region often performs well in its rankings.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, and state leaders often laud the state’s position in another publication’s rankings. In September, Area Development named Georgia the best state for business for the ninth consecutive year.
“That’s not just by chance,” Kemp said in remarks last week before he signed the state’s fiscal 2024 budget. “It’s because we’re willing to make the tough choices when it matters most, it’s because of our partnership and pro-business approach, it’s because we budget wisely and carefully, and it’s especially because of the resilience of hardworking Georgians.”
Spokespeople for Kemp and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the state’s “sales and marketing arm,” did not respond to a request for comment on the Site Selection ranking.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
