Sioux City Times

The Sioux City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), also known as the Siouxland tri-state region, retained the nation’s top spot for economic development for populations under 200,000 for the fourth year in a row according to results released today by Site Selection magazine in their 2022 annual rankings. The news, hailed by elected officials, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and local business leaders, represents the eleventh time Siouxland has ranked first in the nation since initially earning the coveted spot in 2007.

According to results released this morning by Site Selection magazine located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, the Siouxland tri-state MSA earned the top national ranking for its population category for January through December 2022. Siouxland also finished first in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This is the first time Siouxland has earned the recognition four years in a row.

Two years ago, Site Selection introduced “per capita” annual economic development rankings and based on the data released this morning, the Siouxland metro also led the 200,000 and below population category in per capita performance in 2022, as it did in both 2020 and 2021.
Furthermore, when considering overall per capita economic development performance, the tri-state MSA has also led the entire nation, including the larger population categories of 200,000 to 1 million, and 1 million and above.

The announcement was made as part of a Siouxland Industrial Roundtable event sponsored by The Siouxland Initiative (TSI) and the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce which was keynoted by Governor Kristi Noem at the Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. In sharing the regional recognition, Governor Noem was flanked by Adam Bruns, the Managing Editor of Site Selection magazine and Lance Morgan who currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of TSI.

Addressing a gathering of local business executives, community leaders, and elected officials Bruns, who traveled from Atlanta to deliver the news, stated, “Things change, but employers’ trust in Siouxland and its talent remains. By again claiming the No. 1 spot among Tier 3 metros by total projects and by projects per capita, the tri-state area of Sioux City, Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota, has shown us that no matter how you slice the data, the region always comes up roses. Leading a large contingent of high-ranking metros from the Midwest, Siouxland continues to feature quality growth, an increasing array of quality-of-life amenities and, as always, the quality people that make a place hum.”

Governor Noem, who was recently elected to her second term as South Dakota’s chief executive, focused her presentation to the Siouxland Industrial Roundtable on economic development, as well as her vision for the state in her second four-year-term as Governor.

Lance Morgan, who serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of TSI, explained, “While this is welcome news for our Siouxland community, it also represents an opportunity for our region to aggressively expand our efforts to both recruit entrepreneurs, as well as create new pathways to introduce more ethnic and racial diversity to our economic landscape.” Morgan added that he is grateful to the many organizations that consistently choose to grow and expand in our Siouxland community.

Emphasizing the point that this award is recognition of cooperation among the three states and multiple communities in our tri-state region, TSI President, Chris McGowan explained, “As has been the case nearly every year in the past, all three Siouxland states and each independent community continue to contribute to the region’s overall success. This award is collective recognition of the economic development collaboration that our Siouxland tri-state and TSI have promoted for over three decades.”

Royal Canin’s $185 million local expansion announcement in January of 2022 was the single largest economic development project included in the past calendar year’s rankings, and representatives of the company were on hand for the announcement and to also lead a tour of their rapidly expanding facilities in North Sioux City for Governor Noem.

Each March, Site Selection magazine publishes its annual rankings. The publication specifies, “Qualifying projects are those meeting one or more of Site Selection’s criteria for inclusion in the Conway Projects Database: a minimum investment of $1 million, creation of 20 or more new jobs, or 20,000 square feet or more of new space.”

The 2022 ranking marks the eleventh time since 2007 that the Sioux City metro has ranked first in the nation in its population category by Site Selection. The Sioux City MSA was also recognized as the top economic development community for populations under 200,000 in 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The Siouxland metro ranked second in both 2009 and 2014 and finished third in 2006 and 2018. The metro region has ranked in the top three nationally in its population category a remarkable 15 of the last 17 years dating back to its first appearance on the list at third place in 2006. 

Original source can be found here.