SelectUSA is a program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce that facilitates and promotes job-creating business investment into the United States
Global companies are drawn to the United States for many reasons: a highly productive and educated workforce, low-cost supply of energy, direct access to the world’s most robust capital markets, and much more. But how much of our nation’s continued success in this arena should be attributed to incentives given to businesses by state and local governments? They receive a great deal of attention, but how much do companies actually consider incentives when determining where to invest?
Business executives are quite forthcoming with answers to the question. Many of the companies that SelectUSA has assisted have made it clear: incentives are a very important consideration, but not the most important one. Companies consider a mix of variables and factors: costs, location, supply chains, ease of doing business, etc. Consistently, the United States stands out as the best place to do business.
The United States has topped the A.T. Kearney FDI Confidence Index seven years in a row. The Index, a survey of global CEOs’ confidence in the world’s markets, highlights the top factors considered in business expansion and how markets stack up. In 2019, pro-business regulations, competitive tax rates, and economic expansion helped lead to another year of U.S. leadership in international investment. But economic incentives were also ranked among the top of the list of considerations.
State and local governments create incentives packages for companies in order to attract investment and create job opportunities in their local areas. Often given on the basis of job creation or economic impact, incentives can include grants, loans, tax and job training subsidies. These incentive packages can sometimes total in the millions or billions of dollars, but their size is contingent on the magnitude of the proposed business project. The federal government also offers a wide array of incentives, from clean energy production tax credits to export credit insurance for small businesses.
The investment process itself can seem complicated, and many companies don’t know where to start. Luckily SelectUSA is here to help companies navigate the process and connect with the right resources and incentives at the local level. Visit selectusa.gov to learn more. The United States is open for your business.
The data is in:
The latest available data also shows continued, strong investment relationships with markets like the United Kingdom ($614.9 billion total stock), Canada ($523.8 billion), Japan ($476.9 billion) and Germany ($405.6 billion). In fact, these top four sources combined account for more than half of all FDI in the United States. However, the top four fastest-growing sources—collectively accounting for less than three percent of the total stock—are Greece ($1 billion), Argentina ($4.6 billion), Thailand ($2.2 billion) and Singapore ($88.6 billion).
The annual 
Businesses with overseas locations are rapidly transitioning production back to the United States, and facilities are popping up in every region, including Missouri. Manufacturers are taking advantage of what Missouri has to offer by joining an existing industry center with the infrastructure and talent supplies already in place, including access to major customers.
As chair of the Federal Interagency Investment Working Group (IIWG), 
France is the sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States and an important international trading partner. Majority French-owned firms directly support more than 677,000 American jobs, while majority U.S.-owned firms directly employ 440,000 French workers. A central goal of the U.S. Embassy in Paris is to strengthen these bonds through increased cooperation and understanding.
