COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio placed second to Texas again last year in an annual survey measuring how states stack up in attracting companies and getting existing ones to expand.
Texas recorded 657 projects in 2013, well ahead of Ohio’s 480. Illinois was third, followed by Pennsylvania and Michigan.
That’s according to Site Selection magazine, which for the second straight year awarded Texas the Governor’s Cup for its efforts. Ohio won the competition in 2011.
The Columbus Dispatch (https://bit.ly/1nbNDM1 ) reports that the magazine added a second category this year that judges how states do per capita. Ohio came in second to Nebraska.
“It’s one thing for states to be on both lists … but Ohio is second on both lists, and that’s impressive,” said the magazine’s editor, Mark Arend.
Even though Ohio has done well in the competition, the state still places behind many others when it comes to recovering jobs lost during the recession.
A project is defined as an investment by a company of $1 million or more in a new facility, the addition of 50 or more jobs to an existing operation, or an expansion of at least 20,000 square feet to an existing building.
Several Ohio cities scored well in the survey.
Among metro areas with a population of at least 1 million, Cincinnati came in sixth and Columbus eighth. Both cities moved up two spots from 2012.
Chicago was first in that category, followed by Houston and Dallas.
Dayton came in seventh and Youngstown tied for eighth among metro areas with a population of 200,000 to 1 million. That category was led by Omaha, Neb., followed by Allentown, Pa.
Among the smallest cities, Wooster came in first and Findlay was fourth.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, https://www.dispatch.com
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