Accolades & Rankings

 

Learn Why Georgia Ranks among the Best States to do Business 

 

Here is a list of accolades and rankings that have been given to Georgia, her cities and counties along with education, companies and tourism since 2008. 

  

State

Cities & Counties

Companies

Education

Airports

Sea Ports

Tourism

 

 

STATE   

State for doing business

No. 2: Georgia (ranked by site selection consultants)

Source: Area Development Magazine

 

State for labor climate

No. 1: Georgia (ranked by site selection consultants)

Source: Area Development Magazine

 

State for infrastructure (and tied for No. 4 for economic recovery)

No. 2: Georgia (ranked by site selection consultants)

Source: Area Development Magazine

 

State for labor availability and workforce development programs

No. 1: Georgia (ranked by site selection consultants)

Source: Area Development Magazine

 

Busiest containerized exports port (by tonnage) in the U.S., second only to Los Angeles

No. 2: Georgia

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce

 

Entrepreneurial Activity

No. 1: Georgia

Source: Kauffman Foundation, 2010

 

America's Best Roads

No. 1: Georgia
Source: U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), April 2010 (PDF)

 

Overall Top State for Business 2011

No. 4 of America's Top States for Business 2011

Source: CNBC , June, 2011

 

Fortune 500 List with Most Companies in a State 

Tied No. 4 with 14 companies

Source: Fortune 500    (2010 list of Georgia companies)

 

Area Development: Site Selection Consultants Survey

Overall No. 5 : Georgia (Full report)

Source: Area Development  

 

2011 Cost of Living

No. 9 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

2011 Entreprenuerial Activity

No. 1 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

2011 High-Tech Share of All Business

No. 8 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

2011 Business Birth Rate

No. 8 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

Workforce

No. 4 of America's Top States for Business 2011

Source: CNBC , June, 2011

 

Infrastucture & Transportation

No. 2 of America's Top States for Business 2011

Source: CNBC , June, 2011

 

No. 7: Georgia

Source: Chief Executive Magazine, 2010

 

Best Economic Outlook in the U.S.

No. 9: Georgia
Source: American Legislative Exhcnage Council, June 2010

 

America's Top States for Business '09

No. 10: Georgia

Source: CNBC

 

Most Popular State to Live

No. 14: Georgia

Source: Harris Poll, October 2009

 

Innovator Award for Bioenergy

Centers of Innovation for Agribusiness and Energy

Source: Southern Growth Policies Board, June 2009

 

Best State for Alternative Energy From Biomass

No. 3: Georgia

Source: Forbes Magazine, July 2008

 

Best Managed State in the Southeast – overall Grade B+
Individually:
Money B+
People A-
Infrastructure B
Information B+
Source: Pew Center in the States and Governing Magazine

 

Workforce Training
No. 1:
Georgia

Source: Expansion Magazine, 2008

 

Labor/Workforce Development

No. 1: Georgia's Quick Start program
Source: Area Development Expansion Magazine, 2010

 

Fiscal Policies

No. 1: Georgia

Source: Laffer Report, 2008

 

Business Climate

No. 5: Georgia

Source: Site Selection Magazine, 2011

 

Economic Dynamism for Innovative, Fast-Growing Firms

No. 4: Georgia

• Georgia moves up 13 places in one year

Source: State New Economy Index, 2008

 

Best State for Business

No. 5: Georgia

Source: Chief Executive Magazine , 2011

 

Most Pro-Business State

No. 7: Georgia

Source: Pollina Corp. Real Estate, 2008

  

cities  & counties 

ACWORTH

All-American City  (one of 10 winners)

Source: National Civic League, June 2010

 

ATHENS

Best Small Places for Business and Careers
No. 13:
Athens
Source: Forbes.com, 2008

 

ATLANTA

Cities with Most Fortune 500 Companies

No. 3  with 14 companies

Source: Forbes Magazine, 2011

Social Media Savvy Cities

No. 12:  Atlanta

Source: Huffington Post, July2011

 

Best cities for new college grads

No. 4: Atlanta

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, July, 2010

 

Top Twitter-Usage Cities Worldwide

No. 5: Atlanta

Source: Twitter Grader , April 2010

 

Best City for Recent College Graduates 

No. 1: Atlanta (Based on housing, job prospects, culture and lifestyle.)

Sources: CareerRookie.com and Apartments.com, May 2010

 

Least Expensive City to Live In

(U.S. Cities with population of more than 2 million)

No.2: Atlanta

Source: KPMG's Competitive Alternative Study, March 2010

  

America's Most Wired Cities

No. 2: Atlanta

Source: Forbes Magazine , 2010

 

 

Best City for Young Professionals 

No.9: Atlanta

Source: Forbes.com, June 2010 

 

No. 2: Atlanta 

Source: Forbes Magazine, 2009

 

Best Cities to Be a Movie Maker

No. 2: Atlanta

Source: MovieMaker, March 2009

 

Best Start-Up City

No. 7: Atlanta

• "...Atlanta (is) prime real estate for entrepreneurs with franchise dreams."

Source: Entrepreneur Magazine, 2009

 

Largest Cities in the U.S.

N0. 9: Atlanta  (5,475,213, up from No. 11 in 2000))
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

 

Top City for College Grads

No. 10: Atlanta

Source: Grandspot.com's Giude to Life After College, April 2010

 

Best for Quality of Life

No. 11: Atlanta (out of 67 metropolitan markets)

Source: Portfolio.com/Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Most Fit City in the Southeast

No. 15: Atlanta  (nationally)

Source: American College of Sports Medicine's American Fitness Independent Index

 

Top 25 Tech Centers in America

No. 23: Atlanta

Source: Bizjournals, 2009

 

Best Places for Business & Careers

No. 24: Atlanta 

Source: 11th annual ranking by Forbes Magaziine, 2009  

 

America's Most Wired City

No. 2: Atlanta

Source: Forbes.com, 2009

No. 1: Atlanta

Source: Forbes.com, 2008 

 

Most Inexpensive U.S. City to Do Business
No. 1: Atlanta
Source: KMPG auditing and consulting firm study , 2008

 

Best City for Jobs

No. 4: Atlanta

Source: Forbes.com, 2008

 

Best Places for Business and Careers
No. 6: Atlanta 
Source: Forbes.com, 2008

 

Top Destinations

No. 9: Atlanta

Georgia saw a 36% increase in people coming to the state vs. leaving

Source: RElocation.com. 2008

 

America's 10 Fastest Growing Counties
No. 8:
Forsyth Co.
No. 9: Paulding Co
No.10: Jackson Co.
Georgia has 18 of the fastest growing counties in the U.S.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008

  

AUGUSTA

Strongest-Performing Metro Areas in the U.S.

No. 2 Augusta

Source: Brookings Institution's MetroMonitor, June 2010

 

Most Resilient Metro Economy in the U.S.

No. 7: Augusta

Source: Brookings Institution's MetroMonitor, June 2010

 

Best City in the U.S. for First-Time Home Buyers

No. 1: Augusta

Source: CNBC.com, September 2010

 

FORSYTH COUNTY

Fastest Growing Counties in the U.S.

No. 6: Forsyth County

Source: CNNMoney.com, June 2010

 

PAULDING COUNTY

Fastest Growing Counties in the U.S.

No. 8: Paulding County

Source: CNNMoney.com, June 2010

 

2009

Best Bang For the Buck Cities

No. 5: Augusta
Source: Forbes, 2009

 

Strongest Building Markets for Housing

No. 6: Augusta
Source: Business Week, 2009

 

America’s 25 Next Recovering Job Markets

No. 11: Augusta 
Source: Business Week, 2009

 

30 Strongest Housing Markets in the United States

No. 21: Augusta  

Source: Business Week, 2009

 

Fastest Recovering Cities in America

No. 22: Augusta
Source: Forbes, 2009

 

Forty Strongest Metro Economies

No. 23: Augusta
Source: Business Week, 2009

 

Top 20 Strongest-Performing Metro Areas

Augusta
Source: Metro Monitor, 4th Quarter/2009

 

100 Cities Where Americans Are Getting Richer

No. 44: Augusta 
Source: Forbes, 2009

 

Top 100 High Schools in the Nation

No. 100: Augusta's  Davidson Fine Arts Academy
Source: US News & World Report, 2009 

 

2008

Best Middle-Class Housing Markets in the USA

No. 7: Augusta
Source: Forbes, 2008

 

BUFORD

Best Place to Live and Launch a Business
No. 3
Source: Fortune Small Business for CNNMoney.com, 2008

 

COLUMBUS

Top 100 Places to Live

Source: RelocateAmerica.com, April, 2010

  

DAHLONEGA

Top Retirement Town

Source: Retirement Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2009

 

DULUTH

Best Affordable Suburbs in America

No. 1 in Georgia

Source: Bloomberg's BusinessWeek Magazine 

 

JOHNS CREEK

Wealthiest City in Georgia

No. 1: Johns Creek (95th nationally)

• City was incorporated on Decemeber 1, 2006

Source: Bizjournals

 

PEACHTREE CITY

Top 100 Places to Live

Source: RelocateAmerica.com, April, 2010

  

SAVANNAH

Best Places for Business & Careers

No. 57: (Up from No. 90 in 2008)

Source: 11th annual ranking by Forbes Magaziine, 2009

 

One of the America's Prettiest Towns

• "...the loveliest colonial town in the U.S."

Source: ForbesTraveler.com, October, 2009

  

No. 1 Attraction

The Mansion on Forsyth Park's 700 Kitchen Cooking School

Source: TripAdvisor, 2009 

 

HENRY COUNTY

Counties With Best Job Growth

No.  7: Henry County (2000-2008: 60.5%)

Source: CNN Money, August, 2009

 

JEKYLL ISLAND

Top Romantic Island Inns

No. 10: Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Source: Coastal Living, February, 2009

 

VALDOSTA-LOWNDES COUNTY

T op 100 Places to Live

Source: RelocateAmerica.com , April, 2010

 

No. 3: Metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in its class designation for new and expanding industry.  Source: Forbes.com
Source: America by Site Selection Magazine 
Source: Relocateamerica.com, April, 2010

 

WARNER ROBINS

Best Places to Raise Your Kids in the USA

No. 3: Warner Robins
Source: BusinessWeek.com, November, 2009 

 

COMPANIES

2009 Top 100 For-Hire Providers

No. 1 UPS

Source: Transport Topics, May, 2010

 

2009 Top 50 Logistics Service Providers

No. 1: UPS-Supply Chain Solutions

Source: Transport Topics , May, 2010 

 

2009 Top 100 Private Users

No. 1: Coca-Cola
Source: Transport Topics , May 2010

 

World's Most Admired Companies

No. 10: The Coca-Cola Company (ranked No. 1 beverage company)

No. 33:  United Parcel Service (UPS) (ranked No. 1 air, rail, truck & logistics company)
Source: Fortune Magazine, March 2010

 

Diversity - Top 40 Best Companies 
Aflac Insurance – Columbus
The Coca-Cola Company – Atlanta
United Parcel Service (UPS) – Atlanta
Source: Black Enterprise Magazine (2008)

 

Education  

 

2011 High School Advanced Placement Intensity

No. 5 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

2011 Higher -Ed Efficiency

No. 9 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

2011 Job Placement Efficiency

No. 9 of US Chamber Top Enterprising States 2011

Source: US Chamber, June, 2011

 

Morehouse School of Medicine - Atlanta

No. 1 for Social Mission
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, June 2010

 

Wesleyan College - Macon

No. 3 of 100 Best Value Colleges

Source: Princeton Review, presented by USA Today,  2010

 

University of Georgia - Athens

No. 7 of 100 Best Value Colleges

Source: Princeton Review, presented by USA Today, 2010

 

University of Georgia -Athens

No. 6 of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges

Source: Kiplinger's Persional Finance, February, 2010

 

Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta

No. 15 of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges

Source: Kiplinger's Persional Finance, February, 2010

 

Emory University - Atlanta

No. 17 nationally among universities. 

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010

  

Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta

No. 5 nationally for Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (where doctorate is highest degree) and No. 35 among national universities.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

University of Georgia - Athens

No. 58 among national universities.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

Agnes Scott College - Decatur

No. 2 (three-way tie): Up-and-coming Liberal Arts Colleges.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

Georgia College and State University - Milledgeville

No. 6:  Up-and-coming Masters Universities (South)

No. 11: Top Public Schools: Master's Universities (South)

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

Kennesaw State University - Kennesaw

No. 8 Best Colleges: Up-an-coming Masters Universities (South)

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

Spelman College - Atlanta

No. 1: Fourth consecutive year Spelman has been ranked No. 1 among historically black colleges and universities. 

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

Morehouse College - Atlanta

No. 3: Third consecutive year, Morehouse is ranked No. 3 among historically black colleges and universities. 

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010  

 

Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta) and Forth Valley State University (Forth Valley) 

No. 21 (tie): Ranked among Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2010 

 

North Georgia College & State University - Dahlonega

No. 78 of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges

Source: Kiplinger's Persional Finance, February, 2010

 

Georgia Southern University - Statesboro

No. 90 of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges

Source: Kiplinger's Persional Finance, February, 2010

 

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) - Atlanta

No. 7 for the third straight year among public universities. Georgia Tech is ranked 35th nationally among both public and private universities.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2009 

 

Emory University - Atlanta

No. 17 among private and public universities.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2009 

 

University of Georgia - Athens

No. 21 among public institutions. Among public and private universities, UGA is ranked No. 58 nationally.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2009 

 

Agness Scott College - Decatur (Metro Atlanta)

No. 2: Up-and-coming Liberal Arts Colleges

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2009 

 

Spelman College - Atlanta

No. 1: For the third straight year Spelman is rated best among all historically black college and universities.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2009 

 

Morehouse College - Atlanta

No. 3: For the second consecutive year, Morehouse is rated third among all historically black colleges and universities.

Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2009 

 
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)  - Atlanta
• Ranked seventh among the nation's public universities for undergraduates and is a top 10 public university for the 9th consecutive year.
• Georgia Tech has the nation’s largest college of engineering with four programs ranked in the top five:
• No. 1: Industrial Engineering
• No. 2: Aerospace Engineering
• No. 3: Biomedical Engineering
• No. 5: Civil Engineering
Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2008 


Emory University - Atlanta
No. 17
among 248 national universities
No. 12: Goizueta Business School among undergraduate business programs
Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2008 


University of Georgia - Athens
No. 20: 
 Among all public universities
Source: U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, 2008 

 

Georgia State University - Atlanta
Top 10: FlexMBA program nationally for more than a decade
Source: U.S. News & World Report's "Best College Guide"
No. 9: J. Mack Robinson College of Business is the 9th largest in the U.S.
Source: Georgia State University (GSU), 2008

 

Airports

2010 Top Air Cargo Airport Worldwide

No. 1: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Source: Air Cargo Week.com  June, 2010

 

Busiest Airport for Most Enplaned Domestic Passengers  

No. 1: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in 2009

Source: Bureau of Transportation  (PDF) March, 2010

 

Busiest Airport for Most Enplaned International Passengers

No. 3: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in 2009

Source: Bureau of Transportation (PDF) March, 2010

 

2009 Top Air Cargo Airport Worldwide

No. 1: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Source: Air Cargo Week, June 2009

  

Sea ports

Brunsiwck

Top 10: Auto ports in U.S.

No. 2: Grain facility on  U.S. East Coast

 

Savannah & Brunswick
“Fastest –growing port in the country” (first three quarters of 2007)
Georgia Ports grew 25.5% in the first three quarters of 2007 versus the national average of 4.8%
Source: Port Import Export Reporting Service (PIERS)

 

Tourism

Top 10 Sexiest Hotels in America

Savannah's The Mansion on Forsyth Park

• "... the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah is seriously sexy."

Source: Forbes Traveler, 2008

 

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