This is truly a great time in the history of Louisiana. The state is going through what has been called "...one of the great tsunamis of investment to happen in U.S. history."

Forbes describes Louisiana as “America’s new frontier for business opportunity” in a commentary about the state’s economic development efforts

FORBES

Forbes also noted that New Orleans was ranked no. 1 overall in economic recovery out of the largest 100 metro areas in the United States, according to the Brookings Institution.

The Louisiana construction industry gained 1.4 percent more jobs in May 2014 as more new projects begin to start across the state.

NOLA

Louisiana's real personal income rose 1.99 percent from 2011 to 2012; 3.9 percent from 2010 to 2011; and 1.75 percent from 2009 to 2012.

Louisiana personal income rise

Louisiana remains the state with the most cost-competitive tax structure for small and mid-sized cities, with Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport ranking first, second and third, respectively, among U.S. cities, according to a study released Tuesday by KPMG International.

LA TOPS CORPORATE TAX STRUCTURE

Southern Business & Development recognized Louisiana as the 2014 State of the Year in the publication’s 15-state region, marking the fifth time in the past six years Louisiana has earned either State of the Year or Co-State of the Year honors in the South. In addition, Baton Rouge earned the 2014 Major Market of the Year honor, while Lake Charles, Louisiana, received the 2014 Mid-Market of the Year title.

Among mid-sized cities, those with populations of 1 million to 2 million, New Orleans ranked first.

Among small cities, or those with populations of less than 1 million, Baton Rouge ranked first and Shreveport second.

LA EARNS 5TH STATE OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 6 YEARS

The 2014 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation ranks Louisiana No. 1 in export intensity (the dollar value of exports as a percentage of gross state product) and No. 1 in export growth. Louisiana ranks No. 2 in both export intensity growth and growth in the state’s share of national exports. Additionally, Louisiana ranks No. 2 in the nation for per capita income growth, where the state has ranked in the upper tier of states for each of the past five years.

Louisiana ranks No. 5 for the lowest percentage of residents’ income claimed by state and local taxes, while the state’s higher education efficiency (total expenditures per degree awarded) ranks No. 6 and Louisiana’s college affordability ranks No. 10.

LINK

Thumbtack, Inc, recently had good things to say about our state:

quote:
"After a two-month survey of thousands of small business owners nationwide, we have found that Louisiana is notable for its friendliness towards small business and the ease of bringing on new workers," says Jon Lieber, Chief Economist of Thumbtack. "Creating a business climate that is welcoming to small, dynamic businesses is more important than ever, and small businesses recognize that Louisiana has been working hard to achieve this."

Some of the key findings for Louisiana include:

Louisiana was 5th for overall friendliness and took the top spot in the country for the ease of hiring new workers and the friendliness of its environmental regulations.
Louisiana was one of the few states where male business owners were more likely to give postive grades to the friendliness of state government than female business owners, rating it 7 percent higher than their female counterparts.
Louisiana did well across the board, finishing in the top ten nationwide in 7 of the 11 categories that were rated by small businesses.
Louisiana improved 9 spots from its rating in 2013 to finish 5th overall.
Louisiana earned the top rating in the country for the friendliness of environmental regulations and the ease of filing taxes.
The top rated states overall were Utah, Idaho, Texas, Virginia and Louisiana. The lowest rated were Rhode Island, Illinois, California, Connecticut and New Jersey.

THUMBTACK

And just a reminder, it's not just about oil and gas...

quote:
Louisiana Offers an Unrivaled Logistics Infrastructure

The state's available sites and buildings combine with a superior transportation infrastructure, providing access to nearby major markets while benefiting from Louisiana's strategic advantages such as low business taxes, low cost of living and competitive wages.

Louisiana is well situated for both inbound and outbound logistics. The state is home to:

Six interstate highways
Six class one railroads
Six deepwater ports
Seven primary airports
Louisiana is one of only two states in the country where all six of North America's class one railroads converge.

LED

This post was edited on 6/27/14 at 11:01 am