Georgia no. 1, Tennessee third in business magazine rankings | Chattanooga Times Free Press
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Georgia no. 1, Tennessee third in business magazine rankings
5 hours, 48 minutes ago
by Bob Gary / Correspondent
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Staff photo by Larry Sullivan II / Hamilton County Schools Executive Principal of Workforce Development Tony Donen speaks at the Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center on June 17, 2026.
For the 13th straight year, Area Development magazine has ranked Georgia as the top state for doing business, placing Tennessee at a strong third.
Charles Wood, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, noted the interconnectedness between the Chattanooga area and North Georgia:
"The workforce programs in Dalton and Catoosa County create a great talent pipeline for Chattanooga. Think of how the workforce flows across the state line – money and people, every day. North Georgia benefits from Chattanooga economic activity and we certainly benefit from the workforce and economic activity in North Georgia. It's one economy," Wood said.
The New York-based magazine developed its rankings through assessments by 50 site consultants across various industries, evaluating states across 20 categories crucial for corporate location and facility investment decisions.
Individual category rankings for Georgia and Tennessee:
- Engineering talent/cluster strength: Georgia 4 | Tennessee NA
- Skilled manufacturing labor: Georgia 1 | Tennessee 7
- Innovation/research ecosystem: Georgia 6
- Workforce training: Georgia 2 | Tennessee 7
- Labor cost competitiveness: Tennessee 5 | Georgia 10
- Water/wastewater capacity: Georgia 10
- Industrial sites/buildings: Georgia 2 | Tennessee 3
- Site readiness: Tennessee 1 | Georgia 5
- Energy availability/grid capacity: Georgia 2 | Tennessee 3
- Logistics/transportation infrastructure: Georgia 2 | Tennessee 3
- Responsive state/local government: Georgia 1 | Tennessee 3
- Speed to market: Georgia 1 | Tennessee 3