Companies can tell you why they think it’s smart to do business in Columbia. Entrepreneurs can explain why this is a great place to start up. People of every age say they love living here.
In national studies, we’re at the top of key categories that make Columbia a great place to locate or expand:
#1
State in the U.S. for incentive programs
#1
State for small business optimism
Womply
Best
State for business
Chief Executive Magazine
#2
State for workforce development 2019
Area Development
for starting a business
Inc. Magazine
a top 5 U.S. city for millennials for the last 2 years
SmartAsset
Lowest
unionization rate in the nation
#3
U.S. state for doing business 2019
Area Development
Top 3
college technology incubators to watch
Inc. Magazine
#5
U.S. city for affordable housing
Realtor.com
in the nation
CNBC
for lowest startup costs
SmartAsset
for high-tech employment growth
Bay Area Council Economic Institute
Kiplinger's
“This college town, home of the University of South Carolina, saw a net influx of 6,554 millennials, which is 4.95% of its population. That’s the largest percentage for this metric out of all 173 cities in our study.”
- SmartAsset
2019