CNBC ranks Georgia No. 1 state in U.S. for business

ATLANTA, June 24, 2014—Gov. Nathan Deal today celebrated the announcement by CNBC, a world-leading news source for business and financial information, that it has named Georgia as the No. 1 place for business in the nation. 'Since taking office, I have worked every day to make Georgia the No. 1 place in the nation in which to do business,' Deal said. 'Last year, Site Selection magazine named Georgia No. 1 for business, and today CNBC followed suit. These rankings are a testament to the commitment from Georgia businesses, communities, our economic development partners and the people of Georgia. As more people see Georgia's successes, more businesses will consider expanding or relocating here. I am confident that our state's highly skilled workforce and seamlessly connected logistics infrastructure will enable these businesses to be successful and competitive. This is good news for Georgia, and my goal going forward is to maintain our status as a leader in the global marketplace.' 'We've been crunching numbers for months, looking for a state whose business climate is solid as a rock,' said Scott Cohn, senior correspondent and lead investigative reporter at CNBC. 'Georgia, the Peach State, the cream of the crop, with 1,659 out of 2,500 points, it's a big jump from Georgia's eighth place finish last year. Georgia's best category, its workforce, tops in the nation for the third year in a row. Georgia ties for first in infrastructure with America's busiest airport and one of its busiest ports.' CNBC bases its rankings on a proprietary survey methodology derived from a series of metrics engineered with the help of the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness. States receive points based on their rankings in each metric. CNBC then separates those metrics into 10 broad categories and assign a point weighting to each category. The categories include: cost of doing business, economy, infrastructure and transportation, workforce, quality of life, technology and innovation, business friendliness, education, cost of living and access to capital. Georgia has ranked among the top 10 states in CNBC's business climate rankings over the last 10 years, and moves up from No. 8 last year. 'Being named America's top state for business by CNBC is another win for everyone involved in economic development in Georgia,' said Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development Chris Carr. 'This new ranking reconfirms what Governor Deal has been touting – Georgia is the No. 1 place in the nation to do business.' CNBC, the Consumer News and Business Channel, is a division of NBCUniversal and a leader in business and financial news worldwide. In North America alone, the station provides 16 hours of live business coverage to more than a million households. In addition to traditional broadcasting, CNBC's digital platforms provide real-time global financial market news and data.