1. Dominant Economy
- Greater Phoenix represents roughly 75% of the state’s economy
- Many Fortune 500 companies reside within the Phoenix area such as Boeing, Bank of America, Time Warner Telecom, IBM, and Intel
- Gross Metropolitan Product: $203.7 B
2. Expeditious Population Growth
- Arizona, Maricopa County and metro Phoenix were all top 10 in population numbers added in 2015 (bizjournals.com)
- 2% population growth rate within the last year (0.8% national average) (Phoenix Business Journal)
3. Impressive Employment Surge
- Employment bolstered to 2.6% for the state outperforming the preceding year’s 2.0% rate (azeconomy.org)
- Early returns for 2016 point to a continued and even stronger employment rise
4. Massive Population Potential
- Metro Population: 4,503,400
- 5th most populated city in US
- Predicted 23.1% population growth over next 15 years (Arizona Department of Administration, azstats.gov)
- One of ‘10 Fastest Growing Cities’ (CNN Money)
5. Friendly Business Environment
- Top five best cities for small business (National Federation for Independent Business)
- Countless telecommunication and high-tech companies have recently relocated and now call Phoenix home
6. Appealing Tax Incentives
- Employers located within the 100-square-mile City of Phoenix Enterprise Zone (COPEZ) can earn state corporate income tax credit as an incentive for each net new job created (Arizona Department of Commerce)
- Tax credits can liken to $3,000 per hire over a three-year period (city-data.com)
- Other incentives include: no corporate franchise tax as well as property tax exemption for business inventories
7. Future Job Growth
- Arizona named best state for future job growth (Forbes, 2015)
- Ranked among top 20 US cities for tech startups (forbes.com)
8. Flourishing and Steady Tourist Activity
- Phoenix also benefits greatly from seasonal tourism and recreation, especially in the golfing industry, due to its warm summer climate
- Phoenix welcomes more than 16 million people annually as it can offer travelers anything from the Grand Canyon to luxurious spas, fancy resorts, fabulous casinos, and golf courses
9. Transportation Hub
- Flights from Phoenix service 89 locations within the United States and 17 cities internationally
- The Phoenix Sky Harbor International airport is committed to updating and improving its facilities, demonstrated by the nearly 80 ongoing slated projects costing an upwards of $600 million
- Sky Harbor International Airport serves more than 38 million passengers every year making it one of the top ten busiest airports in the nation
- The two major interstates, five freeways, and the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail terminals provide civilian transportation, industrial distribution, and an efficient and superior connection of Phoenix to the rest of the United States
10. Location, Location, Location
- Arizona is located in heart of the American Southwest, just north of Mexico, the United States’ third largest trading partner
- The region is also centrally located between the nation’s top two largest economies— California and Texas – providing Arizona businesses unrivaled access to major markets
- Arizona’s favorable business climate coupled to its close proximity to major markets creates an ideal and advantageous operating environment for companies looking to expand or relocate
11. Talented Workforce
- Greater Phoenix’s workforce stems from and is continually replenished by numerous acclaimed institutions including Arizona State
- University, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Maricopa Community Colleges, University of Phoenix and the University of Arizona
12. Committed Leadership
- $8.1 billion was devoted to construction projects in 2015 alone (City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department)
13. Base of Exploration of the Southwest
- Phoenicians enjoy more than 300 days of sunshine each year
- The city secured the top spot for quality of life ranking, beating out numerous desirable big cities such as Boston, Cincinnati, New York and Raleigh (Robert Half Career Index)
- Phoenix is the primary base for exploration of the Southwest
- The 12,500 foot elevation range in Arizona, striking ponderosa pine forests (the biggest in the world), and Flagstaff 100 inch average snowfall brands Arizona as an ideal location for winter sports
- Arizona is home to more than 100 lakes, including Tempe Town Lake, Pleasant, Mead, Havasu, and Powell
- Arizona also boasts more than 189 city parks, 33,000 acres of desert preserves, and 200 miles of trails
14. Sports!
- Sport teams include the Phoenix Suns (basketball), the Arizona Cardinals (football), the Arizona Diamondbacks (baseball), and the Phoenix Coyotes (ice hockey)
- Phoenix is ranked no. 6 for Best Cities for Sports Travel (Hotels.com & SeatGeek, 2015)