2026-01-05: Dallas-Ft. Worth Top Tech Hub; North Carolina No. 1 in Workforce Development

Atlanta, January 5, 2026:   The second annual North American Tech Hubs Index from Site Selection magazine — based on data from its resident Conway Projects Database, TeleGeography, CBRE and CompTIA — finds the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, metro area tops on the continent for its blend of talent, tech sector growth and hard tech infrastructure. The nation’s capital is No. 2, with the Atlanta, Chicago and Bay Area regions rounding out the top five.

Editor in Chief Adam Bruns explains the idea behind the Tech Hub ranking: “To draw a bead on where the hottest tech hubs are located, marry the most granular tech infrastructure data (internet exchanges, dark fiber, undersea cable connectivity, etc.) with tech talent metrics and with corporate facility project numbers from tech-aligned industry sectors such as software development, data centers and telecommunications.”

“Tech-xas” doesn’t stop with DFW either. Metro Austin places seventh this year. Among the top 25, Houston is among the biggest upward movers, shooting to No. 10 from No. 16 last year, and San Antonio comes in at No. 22. Other climbers include Greater Seattle (up four spots to No. 8), Greater Kansas City (up 10 spots to No. 13) and Des Moines, Iowa, the biggest upwardly mobile tech hub of all at No. 14 this year from No. 29 last year. (See full Top 25 below.)

Texas also led a Sunbelt sweep in Site Selection’s annual Site Selectors Survey found in the January issue. In a survey of 30 of the country’s leading national site consultants, Texas received the most votes for Best Business Climate in America, followed by fellow Southern states Georgia, Florida, Virginia and Tennessee. The top three states for manufacturing projects? Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, they responded. And when they were asked which cities they favor for corporate headquarters projects, the South won again, with Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte and Dallas taking the top four spots.

The survey’s 14 questions elicited candid input on an array of topics including the most important location factors (workforce, tax climate and cost of living), looming workforce challenges (labor shortages, affordable housing) and the impact of federal policies in areas such as immigration and tariffs on corporate decision-making. “Suffice to say that site selection consultants don’t like tariffs,” writes Site Selection Executive Vice President Ron Starner, “and they are unanimous in stating that their corporate clients — at home and abroad — really don’t like them.”

State Workforce Development Rankings; State of the States 2026
In the same January issue launching Site Selection’s 73rd year are the publication’s revamped Workforce Development rankings, which find North Carolina in the top spot, outdistancing the top-notch workforce ecosystems found in Utah, Illinois, Michigan and California. (See the Top 10 below and breakout rankings by U.S. region online.) Based on a unique index incorporating data from ACT, Lumina Foundation, Strada Education Foundation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), SkillsUSA and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the refreshed rankings home in on skills and credentials that have ROI and value, including BLS workforce productivity measures.

“Site Selection’s revised ranking system underscores what we know to be true: States thrive when their people have the skills and credentials that drive economic growth,” says Lumina Foundation’s Data and Measurement Strategy Director Chris Mullin.

The centerpiece of the January issue is the comprehensively researched and meticulously documented State of the States report, where readers will find demographic, GDP and credit rating insights; legislative and policy updates; agency information; governor quotes and “Project Watch” spotlights that shed light on the economies, workforce and business climates of all 50 states. They’ll also find “Rankings that Matter,” which include each state’s rank in several economic development yardsticks.

Among the many topics explored in the 180-page January issue, Managing Editor Kelly Barraza reports on energy innovation, fintech and value-added ag in Ukraine. Associate Editor Alexis Elmore talks to Hillwood’s head honcho about DFW’s breakthrough role in the film & entertainment industry and takes a close look at The Boring Company’s anything-but-boring transit solution in Nashville and Editor Emeritus Mark Arend explores topics as various as the global semiconductor industry, the I-40 corridor and Western Canada.

Other international reports include Tractus Co-Founder John Evans’ look at Asia-Pacific location decision-making in 2026, the magazine’s World Reports news digest, a spotlight on biopharma in Australia and an intriguing look at how the 2025 Global Passport Index, developed for citizens, holds valuable insights for businesses in Western Europe as well. Plus, don’t miss the Tennessee Valley Authority Intelligence Report; an exclusive interview profiling how the world’s largest cold chain logistics company makes its location decisions; compelling state and regional spotlights on the Midwest, Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan and the Boston-Washington corridor; and Site Selection Investment Profiles of the Commonwealth of Virginia; San Bernardino County, California; the City of Schertz, Texas; Consumers Energy and the State of Tennessee.

Site Selection magazine, the leading publication covering global corporate real estate strategy and economic development, is in its 73rd year of publication, and goes to a qualified circulation of more than 41,000* corporate end users, in addition to publishing all of its material at siteselection.com. Global corporate expansion experts Conway Data Inc. — publisher of Site Selection, state economic development guides under its Custom Content Publishing Division, and the Site Selection Investor Watch, Project Bulletin and Snapshot newsletters, has been a trusted source of business intelligence to corporations, government economic development and investment promotion around the world since 1954. Conway Data also manages the Atlanta-based Industrial Asset Management Council, a professional association of corporate real estate executives, economic developers and commercial real estate service providers.

*June 2025, Alliance for Audited Media; all circulation information is publisher’s own data unless otherwise specified.