Peach Tree Times

The Georgia Bulldogs currently hold the No. 1 ranking in the AP football poll and for the eighth consecutive year, the state is also top dog when it comes to doing business, according to a trade publication report.  

The trade publication Area Development reported that Georgia is the best state in the country in which to do business in 2021.

“We’re proud to accept the title of Top State for Doing Business from Area Development for the eighth year in a row,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a news release. “Thanks to our nation-leading workforce development efforts, resilient job creators and strong pro-business environment, Georgia is emerging from the global pandemic with unprecedented economic momentum. My administration will remain focused on building on this solid foundation and continuing to bring more jobs and opportunity to hardworking Georgians across the state."

Rankings were developed by an array of consulting firms that examined 13 variables. The state was the pace setter in cost of doing business, having a cooperative and responsive state government and a competitive labor environment, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia was among only four states that scored in the Top 10 in each category, Area Development said. The others were Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Georgia's unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% this August, a figure that was below the state's unemployment rate in March 2020, before the pandemic began, according to the state Department of Labor.