We ve kept active in the ball game while others have slowed down. Nationwide, fewer and fewer companies are opening new plants and expanding to new locations, Scott said. That makes South Dakota s unhampered growth all the more impressive. North Carolina topped Site Selection s rankings in both new jobs and new facilities. None of South Dakota s neighbors appeared on the top 10 of either list.
Most larger states eclipse South Dakota in the sheer number of new jobs and new and expanded plants.
But comparisons based on state population, like Site Selection magazine s study, yield a more realistic view of economic performance, said Ralph Brown, an economist at the University of South Dakota. South Dakota s ranking doesn t surprise Brown, who said the state s job growth outpaces the national average. The manufacturing and financial service sectors have lead the state s economic expansion, he said. Much of this growth has been fueled by a business climate that offers companies such perks as a cheap and productive work force, few government regulations and no corporate income tax, he said. S.A.E. Warehouse is among the companies that has prospered in the state s healthy economic climate.