State & Regional Rankings and Accolades

Atlanta and Metro Area

•  #1 – Top Metros for Low Cost of Doing Business
            KPMG, Competitive Alternatives: Guide to International Business Location, March 2010
• #1– Best Cities for Minority Entrepreneurs
            Forbes Magazine, March 23, 2011
• #1 – Top 10 Cities for New Grads
            CareerBuilder, 2010
• #2 –Metro for Doing Business
            Area Development magazine, September 2010
• #2 – Entrepreneurial Activity by Metropolitan Area
            Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, March 2011
• #2 – America’s Most Wired Cities
            Forbes magazine, March 2, 2010
• #3– Top 10 Major Cities Business Friendliness
            fDi Magazine from the Financial Times Limited, April/May 2011
• #5– 10 Best Cities to Find a Job
            CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index, May 2011
• #5 – Top 10 Overall American Cities of the Future (and North American Cities of the Future)”
            fDi Magazine from the Financial Times Limited, April/May 2011
• #6 – 2010 Top Metros
            Site Selection Magazine, March 2011
• #9 – America’s Best Cities for Young Professionals
            Forbes magazine, June 17, 2010

Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport rankings:

• World’s most traveled airport by passenger volume
• World’s most efficient airport
• World Air Cargo Award for Airport of the Year
• Award of Excellence for Best North American Cargo Operations

*Information courtesy of: Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; PG Research; Howire Travel Value Index, March 2011; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Air Transport Research Society; Air Cargo Week Magazine, Air Cargo World Magazine, 2010-2011.

State of Georgia

• #1 – State for Labor Climate
            Area Development Magazine
• #1 – Entrepreneurial Activity by State
            Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, March 2011
• #1 – Entrepreneurial Activity
            US Chamber Top Enterprising States, 2011
• #1 – State for labor availability and workforce development programs
            Area Development Magazine
• #2 – 2011 Top State Business Climate Rankings
            Site Selection Magazine, November 2011
• #2 – State for Doing Business
             Area Development Magazine
• #2 – Port of Savannah is the second-busiest containerized exports port (by tonnage) in the United States
            U.S. Department of Commerce
• #2 – State for Infrastructure
            Area Development Magazine
• #3 – 2011 Executive Survey Business Climate Rankings
            Site Selection Magazine, November 2011
• #4 – America’s Top States for Business 2011
            CNBC, June 2011
• #4 – Among U.S. states for number of Fortune 500 company headquarters
            CNN money, 2010
• #9 – Cost of Living
            US Chamber Top Enterprising States, 2011

*Information courtesy of Georgia Department of Economic Development and PG Research.