Rankings

Favorable Business Climate

• South Carolina ranked 8th best for its pro-business regulatory environment.                                             Forbes Magazine, 2010
• South Carolina ranked among the nation's best locations for “Economic Growth Potential” (#1), “Wind Energy Manufacturing Leaders” (#2), “Automotive Manufacturing Strength” (#3), and “Best Business Climate” (#4)
  Business Facilities 2010
• South Carolina is # 4 in the Top 10 rankings of Pro-Business States
  Pollina Corporate Real Estate 2010
• Greenville ranked # 1 among “micro cities of the future,” which includes cities with a population under 100,000 residents.
  fDi Magazine’s “2009/2010 North American Cities of the Future”
• Nations # 1 Metro  for Economic Growth Potential
  Business Facilities August 2009
• South Carolina came in as one of the Top 10 Best States for Business
  Chief Executive Magazine poll of CEO's, 2010
• South Carolina's workforce was ranked 5th in the nation; 8th best for access to transportation in all its modes; and 6th best for the cost of doing business
  CNBC America’s Top States for Business, 2010
• Greenville Metro ranked #46 Best Place for Business and Careers
  Forbes December 2009
• Top 10 Metro Areas for Drug and Pharmaceutical Industry
  Business Facilities August 2009
• Greenville has the second best favorable tax structure for businesses among mid-sized U.S. metropolitan areas
  KPMG’s 2008 Competitive Alternatives: Focus on Tax Study
  
• Greenville ranked # 5 in a list of “Affordable Places to Weather a Downturn”             
  Forbes.com  2008
• The Greenville Metropolitan area ranks within the top 10 percent of total U.S. engineering employment concentration
  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics 2007

Cost of Living

• Affordable Quality of Life – 90.1
  ACCRA Index Annual Average for 2010
• Top 10 Most Affordable Cities for 2010 (City of Greenville)
  Relocate America
• Greenville Metro ranked # 19 in the Healthiest Housing Markets in 2010
  Builder Magazine March 2010
  
• Greenville Metro ranked #20 in America’s Best-Bang-for-Your-Buck Cities
  Forbes December 2009
• Top 10 Retirement Cities for 2010 (City of Greenville)
  Relocate America
• Greenville ranked 34th in lowest cost of living                                                      
  Kiplinger’s “Best Cities 2009”

Education

• 8 of 15 Greenville County Public High Schools in Top 6% Nationally
  2010 Newsweek magazine
• 562 Greenville County teachers are National Board Certified Teachers, more than 29 states (2010)
• Clemson ranked as 22nd Best National Public University                                                      
  US News & World Report

Quality of Life

• Greenville Metro ranked # 2 on the list of “Best Places to Live a Simple Life”                                AARP Magazine 2009
• Greenville ranked 189th for “Bohemian indicator” – concentration of writers, designers, musicians, actors and other artistic personnel                         
  Kiplinger’s “Best Cities 2009”
• Greenville Memorial Hospital has been ranked among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in five specialties – Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders (#25), Digestive Disorders (#30) Heart & Heart Surgery (#43), Neurology & Neurosurgery (#44) and Orthopedics (#49)
  U.S. News' 2009-10 publication of America’s Best Hospitals (2009)
• Greenville’s Art Weekends ranked #46 out of 600 Fine Art Shows
  Lawler’s Art Fair Sourcebook
• Artisphere - one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast
  Southeast Tourism Society December 2009
• Downtown Greenville Great American Main Street Award
  National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Greenville’s Main Street Named Great American Street
  American Planning Association October 2009
• Greenville ranks as one of the five best towns for living and bike riding
  Bike Magazine