In the most recent Area Development survey of corporate executives, highway accessibility once again ranks #1 as a site selection factor.  This is up from the second spot overall in the 2015 survey.

“Adding miles of new and expanded highways can improve access to available skilled labor (ranked #2 as a site selection factor this year) and connect qualified employees to both existing and yet to be developed commercial and industrial hubs,” wrote Charles L. Ruby, director, Deloitte Tax LLP.

Each year, access to highways and availability of skilled labor take the top two spots, just the order varies.

Note: The latest survey was conducted in 2016 and released in the first quarter of 2017.