Louisiana has been recognized as one of the top-performing states in the U.S. for economic development, securing the sixth position in Site Selection magazine’s 2025 Global Groundwork Index. This marks the fifth consecutive year the state has appeared in the national Top 10, maintaining its reputation as a hub for infrastructure investment and business expansion. In the previous year, Louisiana held fourth place on the same ranking.
The index evaluates states based on cumulative data since 2021, factoring in the number of corporate projects, total capital investment, job creation, and current infrastructure funding. Daniel Boyer, director of programming and analytics at Site Selection, analyzed the figures on both an aggregate and per-capita basis to determine the rankings for U.S. states, metropolitan areas, and countries outside the United States.
Further reinforcing the state’s momentum, the Baton Rouge metropolitan region was recently named among the Top 10 U.S. metros for economic development by the same publication. The recognition highlights ongoing multibillion-dollar initiatives across Louisiana that continue to attract national attention and drive regional growth.
— news from Baton Rouge Business Report
— News Original —
Louisiana named a top 10 economic growth leader for a fifth straight year
As several multibillion dollar projects progress throughout the state, Louisiana continues to earn national recognition for infrastructure investment and economic growth.
Site Selection magazine’s Global Groundwork Index ranked Louisiana sixth in the nation for 2025—the state’s fifth straight year in the Top 10. Last year, Louisiana ranked fourth on the index.
Taking in all the corporate data since 2021—number of projects, capital investment and jobs—and the most current infrastructure funding data, Site Selection director of programming and analytics Daniel Boyer crunched the numbers on a cumulative and per-capita basis to determine the top 10 U.S. states, top 10 U.S. metros and top 10 countries outside the U.S. in the 2025 Global Groundwork Index.
Earlier this week, the Baton Rouge metropolitan area was named a Top 10 U.S. Metro for economic development by the magazine.