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Press Release
Texas, Kansas Claim Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup Awards
Top Metro and Micropolitan Areas for Corporate Facility Investment, Top Mississippi River
Regions Also Named
Atlanta, March 1, 2022:
Texas and Kansas
have won the 2021 Site Selection Governor’s Cups. This is the ninth year Site Selection
recognizes the state with the most qualifying new and expanded facilities per capita, which
Kansas claims for the first time ever for its capital investment activity in 2021. Texas wins
for the 10th straight time for having the most qualified projects of any state.
The 68-year-old Atlanta-based magazine has awarded the Governor’s Cup annually since 1988, based
on new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by the proprietary Conway Projects Database.
Site Selection, published by Conway Inc., is the senior publication in the corporate real estate
and economic development fields and is the official publication of the Industrial Asset
Management Council (IAMC, at www.iamc.org).
Site Selection’s yearly analyses are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry
scoreboard.” The magazine’s circulation base consists of 48,000 subscribers, most of whom are
involved in corporate site selection decisions at the CEO/President/COO level.
Overall data from the full 2021 calendar year show a pronounced upswing in project activity
compared to data from the pandemic-affected economy of 2020. The Lone Star State’s total of
1,123 projects is up by nearly 44% from its 2020 tally of 781. Ohio is second with 507, up from
419 in 2020. Next come Illinois with 480; California with 301 and North Carolina with 282. (See
complete top 10 states and other Top 10 rankings from this issue below.) The biggest upward
mover was California, which leaped to No. 4 from No. 16 last year.
In the per capita (per 1 million population) contest, two Plains states make big moves to
capture the top two spots: Kansas goes from No. 10 last year (and No. 20 the year before) to No.
1 with 139 projects (up from 70 projects in 2020). South Dakota lands at No. 2 with 41 projects,
after being ranked No. 34 last year.
“The Governor’s Cups recognize not only the winning governors, but their entire economic
development teams, and by extension, the many professionals throughout their states who work
every day to attract new investment and retain and grow existing businesses,” says Mark Arend,
editor in chief of Site Selection. “Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Laura Kelly of Kansas
deliver the kind of business climate and fiscal predictability that capital investors from
around the world rely on for long-term success, even during a year unlike any other in modern
memory.”
Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database focuses on new corporate facility projects with
significant impact, including headquarters, manufacturing plants, R&D operations and logistics
sites, among others. It does not track retail and government projects, or schools and hospitals.
New facilities and expansions included in the analyses must meet at least one of three criteria:
(a) involve a capital investment of at least US$1 million, (b) create at least 20 new jobs or
(c) add at least 20,000 sq. ft. (1,858 sq. m.) of new floor area.
Top Metros and Micros
In this year’s Top Metros rankings, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin, was
No. 1 for the ninth straight year among metro areas with populations over 1 million;
Dayton-Kettering, Ohio, returns to the No. 1 spot it held two years ago among areas with
populations between 200,000 and 1 million; and multi-time champion Sioux City,
Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota, was once again in the top position among areas with populations
between 50,000 and 200,000. Among the biggest upward movers across the three population tiers
were such metros as Los Angeles; Boston; Charleston, South Carolina; Des Moines; Sioux Falls,
South Dakota; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut; Saginaw, Michigan; and Muncie, Indiana.
The online and print editions of the rankings also include Top State and Top Metros by U.S.
region.
In the second year of the magazine’s Top Metros Per Capita rankings, Austin-Round Rock, Texas
grabs the No. 1 spot among the nation’s largest cities; Sioux Falls, South Dakota, comes from
out of nowhere to the No. 1 spot among Tier 2 metros; and Sioux City sweeps the Tier 3 category
by topping the rankings at No. 1 per capita as well as No. 1 overall. Strong upward movers
included Richmond, Louisville and Memphis.
In the magazine’s ranking of Top Micropolitans — cities of 10,000 to 50,000 people which cover
at least one county — Findlay, Ohio, once again was tops among the nation’s 543 micropolitan
areas, tallying 24 projects last year. It’s the 10th year in a row the area just south of Toledo
has garnered the honor. Second place went to Tupelo, Mississippi, followed by Wooster, Ohio;
Cullman, Alabama; and a tie between Auburn, Indiana, and Batavia, New York, for fifth place.
Ohio once again led as the state with most Top 100 Micropolitans, with 17 of them tallying
enough projects to account for 20% of the state’s total. Indiana had 10 Top Micros for second
place, while Georgia and North Carolina tied for third with nine Top Micros each.
Mississippi River Corridor
In this same issue, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin, and Union City,
Tennessee-Kentucky are recognized as the overall and per-capita No. 1 metro areas along the
entire length of the Mississippi River Corridor, based on private-sector facility projects
tracked over an 18-month period tracing to July 2020. The Twin Cities’ 90 projects (up
dramatically from 62 for the prio 18-month period) just edge out the 88 projects recorded in St.
Louis, Missouri-Illinois. In the per capita category, Union City, with four projects, finishes
just ahead Natchez, Mississippi-Louisiana, and Paducah, Kentucky-Illinois.
Charts of the March 2022 issue’s primary rankings can be found below. Full charts and data can
be found in the rankings stories posted at the magazine’s award-winning website, www.siteselection.com.
Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Data Inc., delivers expansion planning
information to a qualified circulation of 45,000 executives of fast-growing firms.
Celebrating its 68th anniversary this year, Site Selection is also available via Site Selection Online.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Conway Data, publisher of Site Selection magazine, the Conway
Analytics Report and a family of online industry newsletters, in 2017 was recognized
as Georgia International Small Business of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Conway Data has been a trusted advisor to corporations, government economic development and
investment promotion agencies around the world since 1954. Conway Data owns and manages
Conway Events, organizer of worldwide FDI events, and also manages the Industrial Asset
Management Council.
Governor’s Cup Top 10 States
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
State
Project Count
1
1
Texas
1,123
2
2
Ohio
507
3
4
Illinois
480
4
16
California
301
5
5
North Carolina
282
6
13
New York
277
7
3
Georgia
275
8
8
Virginia
273
9
6
Indiana
254
10
9
Florida
217
Governor’s Cup Top 10 States Per
Capita
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
State
Project Count
1
10
Kansas
139
2
34
South Dakota
41
3
3
Kentucky
199
4
1
Ohio
507
5
4
Nebraska
78
6
6
Texas
1,122
7
7
Illinois
480
8
5
Indiana
254
9
8
Louisiana
10
11
South Carolina
173
Top 10 Metros Tier 1 through Tier
3
Metros with Population Over 1 Million
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
Metro
State
Projects
1
1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
IL-IN-WI
441
2
2
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
TX
389
3
3
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land
TX
293
T4
T6
Austin-Round Rock
TX
208
T4
8
New York-Newark-Jersey City
NY-NJ-PA
208
6
4
Atlanta-Sandy Spring-Roswell
GA
157
7
9
Cincinnati
OH-KY-IN
125
8
18
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
CA
109
9
10
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
DC-VA-MD-WV
101
10
23
Boston-Cambridge-Newton
MA-NH
97
Metros with Population 200,000 to 1 Million
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
Metro
State
Projects
1
5
Dayton-Kettering
OH
50
2
6
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin
DC
45
3
3
Baton Rouge
LA
37
4
18
Charleston-North Charleston
SC
34
5
91
Sioux Falls
SD
32
6
35
Des Moines-West Des Moines
IA
29
7
1
Toledo
OH
27
T8
10
Akron
OH
26
T8
7
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
PA-NJ
26
T10
107
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk
CT
23
T10
16
Lafayette
LA
23
Metros with Population Less Than 200,000
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
Metro
State
Projects
1
1
Sioux City
IA-NE-SD
19
2
6
Bowling Green
KY
16
T3
4
Lima
OH
11
T3
T27
Saginaw
MI
11
5
T68
Muncie
IN
10
T6
T68
Elizabethtown-FortKnox
KY
8
T6
43
Harrisonburg
VA
8
T8
T27
Abilene
TX
7
T8
T27
Jackson
TN
7
T8
T68
Winchester
VA-WV
7
Top 10 Metros Per Capita, Tier 1 through
Tier 3
Metros with Population Over 1 Million
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
Metro
State
Projects
Per Capita
1
2
Austin-Round Rock
TX
208
90.6
2
9
Cincinnati
Oh-KY-IN
125
56
3
26
Richmond
VA
71
54.5
4
2
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
TX
389
50.6
5
1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
IL-IN-WI
441
46.9
6
5
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson
IN
94
45
7
17
Louisville/Jefferson County
KY-IN
57
44.9
8
3
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land
TX
293
41
9
12
Columbus
OH
86
40.2
10
32
Memphis
TN-MS_AR
44
32.6
Metros with Population 200,000 to 1 Million
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
Metro
State
Projects
Per Capita
1
T91
Sioux Falls
SD
32
117
2
59
Topeka
KS
19
82.3
3
21
Elkhart-Goshen
IN
15
72.7
4
T91
Lake Charles
LA
14
66.6
5
5
Dayton-Kettering
OH
50
61.8
6
13
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
NC
22
59.4
7
45
Spartanburg
SC
17
52.1
8
23
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin
SC
45
48.2
9
52
Clarksville
TN-KY
15
47.7
10
16
Lafayette
LA
23
47
Metros with Population Less Than 200,000
2021 Rank
2020 Rank
Metro
State
Projects
Per Capita
1
1
Sioux City
IA-NE-SD
19
131
2
4
Lima
OH
11
107.8
3
6
Bowling Green
KY
16
88.5
4
T68
Muncie
IN
10
88.1
5
T68
Columbus
IN
5
59.2
6
43
Harrisonburg
VA
8
59
7
27
Saginaw
MI
11
57.9
8
19
Kankakee
IL
6
55.2
9
Grand Island
NE
4
53.1
10
T68
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox
KY
8
51.8
Top 10 Micropolitans
Micropolitan
Projects
1
Findlay, OH
24
2
Tupelo, MS
19
3
Wooster, OH
13
4
Cullman, AL
10
T5
Auburn, IN
9
T5
Batavia, NY
9
T7
Frankfort, KY
8
T7
Danville, VA
8
T7
Martinsville, VA
8
T10
Angola, IN
7
T10
Lumberton, NC
7
T10
Fremont, OH
7
T10
Tiffin, OH
7
Top 10 States with Most Top
Micropolitans
State
Number of Top Micros
Number of Projects
1
Ohio
17
100
2
Indiana
10
38
T3
Georgia
9
25
T3
North Carolina
9
36
T5
Kentucky
8
31
T5
Nebraska
8
31
7
Kansas
7
19
T8
New York
6
23
T8
South Carolina
6
12
T8
Texas
6
14
Top 10 Mississippi River Metros by Projects
Per Capita
