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VERIFY: Is Georgia the best state in which to do business?

It depends on who you ask.

It seems like you hear about big businesses setting their sights on Georgia almost every day, and we've heard politician after politician talk about how great our state is for industry.

But is that true?

11Alive's Natisha Lance set out to VERIFY.

QUESTION

Is Georgia the best state in which to do business?

ANSWER

It depends on who you ask.

EXPLANATION

You've heard Gov. Nathan Deal say it time and time again, that Georgia has been named the best state in which to do business. The source he's referencing is Site Selection magazine.

The publication, which is based in Peachtree Corners, has awarded the state the top spot five years running.

But other ranking systems haven't been so kind.

Ball State University ranked Georgia at No. 15, while the Beacon Hill Institute puts Georgia in the middle of the pack at No. 24.

However, the rankings aren't an exact science.

11Alive's colleagues at CNBC analyzed metrics across 10 major categories of competitiveness to measure the actual performance by a state.

The study ranked Georgia at No. 2.

The state's best category was its economy, ranked the best in the country according to CNBC. Georgia also ranked near the top in workforce and infrastructure, No. 3 and 4 respectively. That may be confusing considering the nightmare traffic situation in the metro area, but the study is referring to the ability to move people and products by land, air and sea. So, the Port of Savannah and the "World's Busiest Airport," Hartsfield-Jackson International, definitely gave the state a bump in that category.

But it's not all good news. Georgia ranked low in two categories that could hurt the state's chances when wooing companies, like Amazon's new HQ.

Georgia ranked in the bottom half for Quality of Life, 28, and could be a result of factors like the high number of uninsured Georgians and a lack of anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT citizens.

Georgia ranked No. 33 in education. Despite Georgia's strong university and tech college systems, chronically low test scores for K through 12 students and spending keeps Georgia at the bottom of the list.

SOURCES

Ball State University: Ranking States’ Business Climates: Developing an Average Index of State Business Climate Rankings

CNBC: Georgia snags America's No. 2 spot for business

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