The Best States For Business 2018: North Carolina Leads The Way
Kurt Badenhausen Forbes Staff

The Amazon HQ2 sweepstakes captivated site selection experts and government officials over the past 14 months. The e-commerce giant finally announced plans this month to split the grand prize, with 25,000 jobs headed to both Northern Virginia and Queens, New York. While the 20 HQ2 finalists awaited a decision, many corporate expansions and relocations were put on hold.

The logjam should start to unclog soon, with Apple the next tech titan on the clock. Apple announced plans in January for a major new campus and an additional 20,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next five years. At the time, Apple said a location decision was expected by year-end.

The Raleigh, North Carolina, metro area and its Research Triangle Park is reportedly a leading candidate for the campus (Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment). The Cupertino, California, company could do worse for a second home. North Carolina has the best business climate in the U.S. and tops Forbes’ Best States for Business ranking for the second straight year.

North Carolina’s labor, energy and tax costs are all well below the national average and rank as the second lowest in the U.S. overall, per Moody’s Analytics. The 3% corporate tax rate is the lowest in the country.
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/11/28/the-best-states-for-business-2018-north-carolina-leads-the-way/