Ohio Dominates 2018 Governor’s Cup Rankings

Ohio has shown its dominance in economic development and business attraction for the fifth consecutive year, according to Site Selection’s newly released 2018 Governor’s Cup rankings. Ohio’s continued recognition is a testament to the state’s business climate, workforce, infrastructure and innovation, as well as to the many local, regional and state partners that help to spread the word.

According to Site Selection’s Governor’s Cup 2018 rankings, Ohio was named the No. 2 overall state for total projects for the fifth consecutive year and the No. 3 state in projects per capita. The recognition makes Ohio, for the second consecutive year, the only state to place in the top three of both categories.

Cincinnati and Columbus both placed in the top 10 list for Tier 1 Metros (population over 1 million), ranking fifth and seventh respectively. Dayton-Kettering ranked number 2 in the Tier 2 Metros category (population between 200,000 and 1 million) with Toledo coming in number 4 in the same cateogry.

Major metropolitans aside, Ohio’s smaller markets also provide big opportunities for businesses. Ohio micropolitans, defined as cities with 10,000 to 50,000 residents, earned 17 spots in the Top 100 Micropolitans. For the fifth straight year, editors named Findlay the No. 1 overall micropolitan, with Wooster, Ashland, Defiance and Tiffin all placing in the top 10 list of top-producing micropolitans. Other Ohio cities named to the Top 100 Micropolitans include, in order of rank: Wapakoneta, Fremont, Sidney, Ashtabula, Bellefontaine, Bucyrus, Celina, Zanesville, New Philadelphia-Dover, Norwalk, Salem and Wilmington.

“Companies that locate and grow in Ohio are finding success here thanks to the diversity and advantages the state’s communities, regardless of size, offer for a variety of industries,” said Dana Saucier, vice president and head of economic development at JobsOhio. “These strong results show how effective our collaboration with state, regional and local economic development partners can be when we all work together with the goal of bringing new jobs, investment and opportunity to Ohioans.”

Site Selection has awarded the Governor's Cup annually since 1988 to the state with the greatest number of new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.'s New Plant Database. To see a full list of the Site Selection honorees, visit SiteSelection.com.