Chicago ranked No. 1 metropolitan area for corporate relocations for 13th year in a row

Chicago is once again the top U.S. metropolitan area for companies looking to relocate or expand, according to Site Selection Magazine. 

With more than 600 corporate end-user facility projects in 2025, the Chicago area ranked No. 1 in the nation in Site Selection's annual rankings, ahead of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York-Newark, and Atlanta.

Chicago has topped the list for 13 years in a row. Illinois ranked second among states for corporate expansion projects.

The ranking is based on verified expansion and relocation projects and is a measure of business expansion and investment activity.

"It is one of the country's clearest measures of economic and business expansion, and it is clear to see why we earned this honor once again," Mayor Brandon Johnson said. "In 2025, World Business Chicago tracked more than 200 corporate expansions, relocations, and new market entrants."

According to World Business Chicago, those projects translated to 19,600 new and retained jobs, $1.7 billion in annual earnings, and more than 26 million square feet of commercial and industrial space.