Arlington Named Best Mid-Sized City For Business Climate In Ranking

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Among mid-sized cities, Arlington has the best business climate, according to a new ranking from Business Facilities magazine.

The 18th annual ranking examines which cities do well in attracting and retaining businesses in various industries. Arlington County regularly ranks high in lists of top-performing cities.

This was the second year in a row Business Facilities ranked Arlington County first in the mid-sized cities category.

Among the notable headquarters in Arlington are Amazon's second headquarters, the U.S. Department of Defense, Boeing and Raytheon.

"Not only does Arlington have unmatched proximity to the nation’s capital and a top-notch talented workforce, but it also offers a well-managed local government with a solid Triple-AAA bond rating," Shannon Flanagan-Watson, interim director at Arlington Economic Development, said in a statement. "We are proud and honored that Business Facilities has recognized Arlington for its excellent business climate."

Following Arlington in the mid-sized cities category are Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Vancouver, British Columbia; Henderson, Nevada; Lubbock, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin; Lexington, Kentucky; Rochester, New York; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Neighboring Alexandria led the small cities category followed by Wilmington, Delaware; Charleston, West Virginia; Amarillo, Texas; Mobile, Alabama; Greenville, South Carolina; Avondale, Arizona; Joplin, Missouri; Des Moines, Iowa; and South Jordan, Utah.

As for the regions top for corporate headquarters, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria region took the seventh spot. The top metro area was New York City, followed by Chicago-Naperville-Evanston, Illinois; Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas; Dallas-Irving-Plano, Texas; San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California; and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia.

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