Site Selection Releases 2026 Workforce Development Rankings
Site Selection Magazine, a leading economic development publication, has released their 2026 workforce development rankings and North Carolina, Utah, Illinois, Michigan, and California all made the top five. The rankings rely on the Conway Projects Database to evaluate the performance of regional economic development agencies. By the same logic, any credible measure of state workforce development must assess the workforce itself—its credentials and degrees, technical skill and productivity, and, just as importantly, the return on investment it delivers to both employers and employees.
In the South Atlantic Region, North Carolina earned the top spot regionally and nationally, while Illinois earned the top spot in the East North Central Region (#3 nationally) and California earned the top spot in the Pacific Region (#5 nationally).
We currently support the outreach and communications needs of workforce organizations in both Illinois and California, and North Carolina is home to one of our regional offices.
Photo courtesy of Site Selection.