Accolades & Rankings

Doing business in Northeast Indiana can benefit both business and life, just take it from the experts. Scroll below to explore a list of accolades and rankings from national publications, top-tier media outlets and data analysts and learn more about the benefits of Northeast Indiana’s friendly business climate and quality of life.

What the Experts Are Saying

2021

• Fort Wayne came in at #1 in a recent study conducted on the best cities to buy a second home.
• Indiana ranked No. 9 on the Tax Foundation's annual list of the best business-friendly tax climates. 
• Fort Wayne named as Top 5 emerging housing market in the new Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com index.
• Fort Wayne was ranked No. 8 on a list of "Top Cities for Remote Work".
• U.S. News & World Report named Fort Wayne No. 2 on its list of the most affordable places to live. 
• The City of Fort Wayne ranked as the No. 3 best-run city in America in a recent study from the personal finance outlet WalletHub.com. 
• Business Insider ranked the most affordable places to live in America relative to income and included Fort Wayne as No. 1.
• Parkview Health was named among the 250 best hospitals in the U.S. by Healthgrades.
• Angola in Steuben County, Auburn in DeKalb County and Warsaw in Kosciusko County were named by Site Selection Magazine in its list of the top micropolitans in the country. Click here to read Site Selection Magazine’s list.
• Insurify.com named Fort Wayne in its list of the top cities for homeowners.
• Fort Wayne ranked among the top cities where young residents are buying homes by SmartAsset.com.
• Fort Wayne ranked among the top cities for work-life balance by SmartAsset.com. 

2020

• SmartAsset recognized Fort Wayne as one of the top 25 most livable cities nationwide and in the top 10 for most affordable cities for early retirement.
• Indiana ranks in the Top 10 Best States business tax environment by the Tax Foundation for its 2021 list.
• Resonance Consultancy named Fort Wayne No. 19 in its ranking of America's Best Small Cities.
• Fourth Economy community index ranked Steuben County No. 7 on its list of the Top Ten Small Counties List for 2021.
• Fort Wayne ranked in the list of Top 10 Cities for First-Time Homebuyers by SmartAsset.com.
• Area Development named Indiana No. 7 on the list of Top States for Doing Business.
• Fort Wayne among 'Best of the Midwest' for startups by Midwest Startups. 
• Parkview Health was named one of the nation's top hospital systems by Fortune.
• Fort Wayne included among ‘Best-Run Cities’ by WalletHub.com.
• Indiana ranked once again as one of the 'Best States for Business' by Chief Executive Magazine.
• Fort Wayne was named in the Wall Street Journal's list of the top hottest job markets. 
• The Brookings Institution’s 2020 “Metro Monitor” report puts the Fort Wayne metro area in 4th place among mid-size cities for productivity, 7th for prosperity and 8th for the standard of living, based on indicators like annual wages and what types of jobs are available.
• Travel + Leisure named Winona Lake one of the "10 Best Small Towns in the Midwest".
• CBNC listed Fort Wayne as No. 2 on its list of the 15 best U.S. cities to work from home—depending on your current situation and job needs.
• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 74 for hottest job markets by the Wall Street Journal.
• Fort Wayne ranked in Business Insider's list of the top 15 hottest real estate markets. 

2019

• Machinery buyer and seller Kempler Industries compiled a list of the top U.S. cities for manufacturing and Fort Wayne ranked No. 2.
• Indiana ranked sixth nationwide in a study of states most attractive to the aerospace and defense industries, according to consulting firm PwC.
• Fort Wayne's Parkview Field, home of the TinCaps, was listed as No. 6 on Sports Business Journal's list of the top minor league baseball parks. 
• Fort Wayne was listed on Realtor.com's list of the Top 20 Performing Markets in August 2019.
• Auburn was ranked in Top 25 Cities for Young Families in Indiana.
• Realtor.com named Fort Wayne as America's Hottest—and Most Unexpected—Real Estate Market in July 2019.
• Fort Wayne named on Livability’s list of the 2019 Top 100 Best Places to Live.
• Thrillist named Fort Wayne as one of the Best Cities for Creative Professionals Right Now. 
• Realtor.com named Decatur, Ind. as one of the "Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live." 
• Warsaw and Winona Lake is ranked one of the most charming small towns in America by Travel Channel.
• Fort Wayne ranked No. 10 on a list of "The 10 Safest, Most Affordable Metros You'll Want to Live In" by Realtor.com.

2018

• Forbes ranked Indiana No. 11 on its list of the Best States for Business list. 
• Tax Foundation ranked Indiana No. 2 on its Property Tax Index Ranking list.
• CNBC ranked Indiana No. 2 in a list of the top states for infrastructure.
• Chief Executive magazine ranks Indiana fifth best state for business.
• The Washington D.C.-based Tax Foundation's 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index ranks Indiana 10th for its overall tax climate and number one in the Midwest. 
• Several Northeast Indiana communities appeared on Site Selection Magazine's list of the Top Micropolitans by Number of Projects.
• BadCredit.org named Fort Wayne No. 2 on a list of the 15 cities with a low cost of living and high quality of life.
• Fort Wayne was ranked the #13 Best City for Veterans to Live in 2018 by Veterans United. 
• According to a new analysis from GoBankingRates, Fort Wayne is ranked No. 1 on its list of the most affordable places to retire. 
• The Alliance of Indiana Rural Water says Fort Wayne City Utilities has the best tasting water in the State.
• Reader's Digest named Fort Wayne on its list "These Are the 15 Best Places to Move to in the U.S. (Before They Get Too Crowded).”
• Liveability ranked Fort Wayne No. 3 on its list of the 7 Best Cities for Millennials Who Love Libraries.  
• Fort Wayne ranked the best city to live in Indiana on BusinessInsider.com's list of "The Best Place to Live in Every US State".
• Fort Wayne ranked No. 40 by U.S. News & World Report on its list of the 125 Best Places to Live in the USA.
• Fort Wayne ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report on its list of the 25 Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. in 2018.

2017

• Forbes ranked Indiana No. 10 on its list of the Top 10 Best States for Business.
• The Tax Foundation’s 2018 State Business Tax Climate Index ranked Indiana No. 9 for its overall tax climate and top in the Midwest.
• WalletHub ranked Fort Wayne No. 9 on its ranking of the best-run cities in the country.
• Indiana is ranked No. 7 by Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council on a list of entrepreneur-friendly states.
• Indiana is ranked No. 1 for best state government in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. 
• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 15 in Business Insider's list of the 20 best US cities for finding a job in 2017.