Advantage New Orleans

Key Stats & Rankings

What’s it like to live, work and play in the City of New Orleans?

EASE OF DOING BUSINESS

  • #2 Lowest cost of Doing Business/ City of New Orleans/ Business Facilities, 2016

  • #9 Lowest Startup Costs/ SmartAsset, 2017

  • #4 Largest Port (Port of New Orleans)/ Global Trade Magazine, 2018

  • Lowest corporate income tax in the nation/ City of New Orleans/ KPMG, 2016

  • #8 for Favorable General Regulatory Environment and Speed of Permitting/ Louisiana/ Area Development, 2019

  • #7 for Business Incentives Programs / Louisiana/ Area Development, 2019

  • #8 State for Doing Business/ Louisiana/ Area Development, 2019

  • #2 for Infrastructure that supports economic development/ Louisiana/ Site Selection, 2019

  • One of 3 Rising Tech Hubs to Watch/ OZY, 2018

  • Top 10 Tech Market to Watch/ CBRE, 2018

  • Low Energy Costs, Louisiana’s industrial energy costs are 22% lower than the national average for electricity and 10% lower than the national average for natural gas costs/ Louisiana Economic Development, 2017

  • #6 for Favorable Utility Rates/ Louisiana / Area Development, 2019

  • 22.4 minute average commute time / New Orleans Metro/ Data USA, 2016

TALENTED WORKFORCE

  • #1 Tech employment growth in the U.S., New Orleans/ SmartAsset, 2017

  • #3 Highest ratio of women in computer and math occupations in the U.S./ SmartAsset, 2016

  • #8 Best City for Women in Tech/ SmartAsset, 2018

  • #3 Best City for lowest gender gap in tech salaries/ SmartAsset, 2018

  • #3 City for Youngest Entrepreneurs/ LendingTree, 2018

  • #1 City for creatives, City of New Orleans/ SmartAsset, 2016

  • #7 Best City for Job Security and Advancement/ Indeed.com, 2018

  • #9 Best Work/Life Balance/ Indeed.com, 2018

  • #14 Best Metro for Job Seekers/ Indeed.com, 2018

  • #1 Workforce training program in the U.S./ Louisiana FastStart, 2009-2016/ Business Facilities, 2016

  • #2 Growth in personal wealth (Louisiana)/ Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2018

  • Top 25 Cities Ready To Navigate the Next Wave of the Digital Economy/ City of New Orleans workforce/U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Innovation That Matters,” 2016

  • Ten colleges and universities within the city limits

  • One of only 15 U.S. cities with two medical schools

  • 5th Highest High School Graduation Rate/ New Orleans/ WalletHub, 2018

  • Fastest growth in educated Millennials, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Innovation That Matters,” 2016

AN INTERCONNECTED CITY

  • Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) hosts 15 airlines, 54 nonstop flights, and connects to all U.S. hubs; new, ground-up terminal under construction for 2019 completion

  • #3 Fastest Growing Airport of the Past Decade/ MSY/ FAA, 2017

  • Port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River – more than $296 million capital infrastructure investment for quick container turnaround, increased capacity

  • Port Connection to 6 Class One Railroads via the Public Belt Railroad makes shipping to any point in the U.S. and access to Canada possible by rail

  • $1.2 Billion in public transit projects in progress and planning

PEOPLE-FRIENDLY, BIKE/WALK-FRIENDLY CITY

  • #1 Place to Go in the World/ New York Times, 2018

  • #3 Best Big City/ Conde Nast Traveler, 2018

  • #4 Coolest City/ Forbes, 2017

  • #4 Best Winter Vacation in the World / U.S. News, 2018

  • #2 Favorite City / Travel+Leisure, 2017

  • Top 10 Friendliest Cities in the U.S./ Conde Nast Traveler, 2016

  • Top 10 Most Charitable Cities/ Barna, 2016

  • #1 Tulane University for Best College City/ Princeton Review, 2018

  • #1 Loyola University for Best Town-Gown Relations/ Princeton Review, 2018

  • #9 Happiest Workers, Louisiana/ Sokanu, 2018

  • #3 Americorps members generated in the U.S./Corporation for National & Community Service, 2018

  • Top 25 Walk and Bike scores, City of New Orleans/ Trust for Public Land, ParkScore, 2018

  • High percentage of city area devoted to park land/ Trust for Public Land, ParkScore, 2016

  • “Silver” ranking for bicycle friendliness, City of New Orleans/League of American Bicyclists, 2018

RECENTLY RANKED IN TOP 10 STATES 2017, PROSPERITY CUP CHALLENGE

Criteria Evaluated:

  • Total new and expanded facilities in 2016

  • Total new and expanded facilities in 2016 per 1 million population

  • Total capital investment in new and expanded facilities in 2016

  • Total capital investment in new and expanded facilities per 1 million population in 2016

  • Total new jobs created in 2016

  • Total new jobs created in 2016 per 1 million population

  • Rank in the corporate real estate executive portion of the 2016 Site Selection Business Climate Ranking

  • State tax climate as ranked by the Tax Foundation

  • Performance in the Beacon Hill Institute’s State Competitiveness Index

  • Number of National Career Readiness Certificates per 1,000 residents aged 18-64, according to ACT – Workforce Development Division, administrator of the ACT Certified Work Ready Communities initiative

DIVERSE ASSETS

  • #6 for Port Growth/Port of New Orleans/ Forbes, 2017

  • Most efficient public spending in the U.S., urban centers/ WalletHub, 2016

  • #1 Significant capital investment and job creation per capita/ Louisiana, of Southern states/Southern Business & Development, 2017

  • #9 for economic growth potential/ Louisiana/ Business Facilities, 2018

ONLY IN NEW ORLEANS

With hundreds of theater, art, live music, sports, festivals and recreational events each year, living in New Orleans is a perpetual celebration. In New Orleans, you get the action of a big city and the benefits of a small town, including accessibility, low commute times, and the ease of building strong personal and professional networks.
  • More than 35 internationally acclaimed festivals and events year-round such as Mardi Gras, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, VooDoo Fest and ESSENCE® Fest
  • Home to NFL and NBA teams – New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans
  • #1 U.S. City for Foodies/ Travel & Leisure, 2016
  • #11 America’s Best Cities for Arts, Culture & Entertainment/Resonance Report, 2018
  • #8 Most Exciting Food City in the U.S./ Zagat, 2017
  • More than 20 James Beard Awards winners (the Oscars of the culinary world) among New Orleans restaurants and chefs
  • Cure – “Outstanding Bar Program”/James Beard Foundation, 2018
  • Nina Compton, Compère Lapin- “Best Chef: South”/James Beard Foundation, 2018
  • Dong Phuong Bakery- “American Classics“ /James Beard Foundation, 2018
  • 8 restaurants in the “Top 50 Southern Restaurants”/ Open Table, 2018
  • Live music every night of the week – wide array of styles, genres and venues
  • Thriving arts and cultural scene in galleries, open studios, theaters, concert halls and museums

Success Stories

DXC Technology opened an office in downtown New Orleans that will result in addition of 2,000 direct jobs.
The J.M. Smucker Company expanded their coffee production facilities in New Orleans East. Folgers now produces all its coffee in New Orleans, providing over 500 jobs.

GE selected New Orleans as home to their first dedicated IT center for its GE Capital unit.

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