Bringing in business is a top priority for every state. New corporate locations and expansions create jobs and expand and diversify the tax base. Even though most would agree we have largely recovered from the Great Recession, the memories of that brutal downturn are still painfully sharp and linger — and still impact decision-making by corporate leadership. Today companies pay more attention to how states held on to and supported business during the Great Recession; in turn, states are more motivated to do all they can to attract, diversify, and support new business and stand out from competing states.

Area Development, a leading executive magazine covering corporate site selection and relocation, named Georgia the No. 1 state for business in its 2017 Top States for Doing Business rankings.