





It is difficult to overstate how crucial workforce development is to a state’s economic health. CNBC’s Scott Cohn notes in America’s Top States for Business 2017 that “most states point with great pride to the quality and availability of their workers, as well as government-sponsored programs to train them.” All states invest in workforce development, but those investments can be more productive in states where other factors are also at work — strong education systems, legislators committed to education excellence, and others.
Site Selection this year introduces a more robust methodology for gauging state’s workforce development environment. It does not rate specific state programs, but rather the context in which those programs are applied. Index components are:
States were ranked regionally and according to their comparative strength in each category. Due to their robustness and breadth, CNBC’s and Forbes’ sub-rankings were weighted more heavily than the other categories. The remaining categories were weighted equally.
Mark Arend has been editor in chief of Site Selection magazine since 2001. Prior to joining the editorial staff in 1997, he worked for 10 years in New York City at Wall Street Computer Review, ABA Banking Journal and Global Investment Technology. Mark graduated from the University of Hartford (Conn.) in 1985 and lives near Atlanta, Georgia.