RESEARCH

One-Pager: Ranking of Tennessee’s Top 50 Cities Full Report: How Business-Friendly are Tennessee’s Cities?  NASHVILLE, TN — The Beacon Center of Tennessee, the state’s free market think tank, today announced the results of its eighth annual ranking of the state’s Most Business-Friendly Cities, a measurement of the 50 most populous cities in Tennessee based on their business climates. The ranking is the result of data collected across ten factors considered to fundamentally affect local economies and determine the future growth of communities. This year’s Most Business-Friendly City is Brentwood, becoming the first city to take the top spot in two consecutive years. This Middle Tennessee town is often considered an outpost for Nashville commuters, but is quickly carving its own identity as an alluring, tax-light city to raise a family and start a business. The Beacon Center will present Brentwood city officials with a plaque commemorating its achievement for the second year in a row in early December. The study, titled How Business-Friendly are Tennessee’s Cities?, ranks each city with a score in three primary categories: Economic Vitality, Business Tax Burden, and Community Allure. These main categories consist of subcategories that measure the cities’ changing population, unemployment, sales and property taxes, high school graduation rates, and other indicators that encourage or discourage business development and economic growth. Brentwood has consistently ranked in the top tier of Tennessee’s friendliest business communities, and after second place finishes in 2010 and 2011, finally captured and successfully defended the top spot for 2012 and 2013. Building upon its trends over the past two years, Brentwood continued to outpace other cities in a range of categories, including low taxes, a high quality education system, strong population growth, highest median income, low crime, and second lowest unemployment rate. “Brentwood’s achievement as Tennessee’s top business-friendly city for two years running proves the city is serious about providing an economic environment ripe for entrepreneurial activity and stability,” said the Beacon Center’s Director of Policy Lindsay Boyd, co-author of the report. “Families, small business leaders, and college graduates can all find opportunities in Brentwood’s thriving community.” “Each year, the Beacon Center conducts this intensive survey of Tennessee’s top 50 cities with the hope that we see improvements made across the board from one year to the next,” Boyd said. “Brentwood continuously demonstrates excellence in performance, making the city a powerful example for those communities looking to implement positive changes that improve the lives of their residents and attract businesses.” The full report, along with the ranking of each of Tennessee’s 50 most populous cities, can be found at http://www.beacontn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013-Business-Friendly-Cities-Report.pdf. For a simple list of the rankings without the full report, click here. The Beacon Center of Tennessee is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee. The Beacon Center’s mission is to change lives through public policy by advancing the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and limited government.

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