Accolades & Rankings

We certainly understand why working and living in Northeast Indiana can benefit your business and life, but it’s not just our belief, the experts think so too. 

Below is a list of accolades and rankings from national publications on our business climate, quality of life, and education.

Take Their Word for It

Business and Economy

2020

• Fort Wayne was named 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.

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.

2018

• Forbes ranked Indiana No. 11 on its list of the Best States for Business list. 
• Tax Foundation ranked Indiana No. 2 on it's 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 Selector Magazine's list of the Top Micropolitans by Number of Projects.

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 tops 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.

2016

• Indiana is ranked in the top 10 on a list of states with the most competitive tax codes. The Tax Foundation's State Business Tax Climate Index ranks Indiana 8th for its overall tax climate. 
• According to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana earned triple-A credit ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Fitch, and Moody’s.
• Indiana ranked first in the Midwest and fifth in the nation for doing business by Chief Executive magazine.
• Fort Wayne named one of America's Hottest Real Estate Markets by Realtor.com.
• Fort Wayne ranks No. 1 for “Growing Strong Clusters” according to a Harvard University report analyzed by the Community Research Insitute at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

2015

• Indiana was ranked first in the nation for our affordable cost of doing business by CNBC.com.
• Indiana was ranked second in the United States for our pro-business regulatory environment by Forbes. 
• The Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States study ranked Indiana third in the nation as the best place to do business.
• The State Business Tax Climate Index by the Tax Foundation ranked Indiana eighth-best in the country, up from tenth in 2014. Indiana remains the top state in the Midwest for business-tax competitiveness.
• A Brookings Institution study ranked Indiana fourth in the nation for its concentration of jobs in advanced industries. Tech-related industries employ more than 11 percent of the state’s workforce.
• The City of Bluffton, located in Wells County, was named No. 1 in NerdWallet’s list of the Best Places to Start a Business. Bluffton was also named Indiana’s first “Gigabit City” thanks to its universally available internet speeds of up to one hundred times faster than a typical residential broadband connection.

2014

• According to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana was only one of 11 states that have triple-A credit ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Fitch, and Moody’s.
• Area Development magazine ranked Indiana best in the Midwest and No. 7 overall in its Top States for Doing Business survey.
• According to  Business Facilities’ State Rankings Report, Indiana’s business climate ranked best in the Midwest and No. 5 in the nation.
• The Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States study ranked Indiana first in the Midwest and seventh  the nation as the best place to do business.
• Chief Executive magazine’s annual Best and Worst States survey ranked Indiana first in the Midwest and sixth in the nation.
• Forbes’ Best States for Business and Careers Index ranked Indiana No. 3 in regulatory environment.
• According to Area Development magazine, Indiana ranked No. 7 in a list of the Top States for Doing Business.
  • The magazine also ranked Indiana as:
    • No. 1 in skilled labor availability
    • No. 2 in water availability and cost
    • No. 3 in distribution and supply-chain hubs
    • No. 4 in rail and highway access
    • No. 5 in corporate-tax environment
    • No. 6 in cooperative government, and
    • No. 7 in labor climate.
• Business Facilities’ State Rankings Report named Indiana as the state with the best business climate in the Midwest and No. 5 nationally. Indiana is ranked among the top 10 in six categories, including best business climate and automotive-manufacturing strength.
• Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States ranked Indiana as the best place to do business in the Midwest and No. 7 nationwide.
• Chief Executive ranked Indiana the sixth-best state for doing business and the best place to do business in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year.
• The National Association of Manufacturers ranked Indiana No. 1 in highest shares of manufacturing employment.
• Site Selection magazine named Indiana its No. 1 pick in the Midwest for the best overall business climate, according to a survey of site consultants.
• The Fiscal Times ranked Indiana among the Top 10 Best States for Taxes.
• State Business Tax Climate Index by the Tax Foundation ranked Indiana among the top 10 states in the nation.

Earlier

• Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States ranked Indiana as the best place to do business in the Midwest and the seventh-best nationwide. (2013)
• Chief Executive ranked Indiana the fifth-best state for doing business for the second year in a row and the best place to do business in the Midwest for the third consecutive year. (2013)
• Area Development magazine named Indiana as one of the top 19 states leading the U.S. manufacturing resurgence. The magazine ranked Indiana as No. 1 in manufacturing share of nonfarm employment, No. 2 in manufacturing share of GSP, and No. 7 in manufacturing jobs overall. (2013)
• Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States ranked Indiana as the best place to do business in the Midwest and the fifth-best nationwide. The Pollina Report also said “Rising from No. 23 in 2010, Indiana at No. 5 for 2012 has become a pro-business powerhouse and will certainly dominate the northern states if it continues to build on its success.” (2012)
• Chief Executive ranked Indiana the fifth-best state for business. (2012)

Living Here and Quality of Life

2020

• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 74 for hottest job markets by the Wall Street Journal.

2019

• 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 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." 
• 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

• 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

• Fort Wayne ranked No. 5 on Romper's list of the "Top 10 Most Affordable US Cities For Millennial Parents To Raise Their Families".
• In an article by Food and Wine, Fort Wayne is named "An Unexpected Hipster Hotspot."
• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 7 on Business Insiders list of 10 U.S. Cities that Make it Easier to Get Rich.
• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 4 on Buzzfeed's list of the "10 Underrated Cities That Hipsters Are About To Ruin."
• Two-EE's Winery voted No. 1 tasting room in USA Today's 10 Best list.
• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 5 on Smart Asset's List of The Best Cities for Golfers to Live In.
• Ligonier is ranked No. 1 in SafeWise's list of the Top 20 Safest Cities in Indiana.
• Niche ranks Fort Wayne at No. 1 in its 2017 ranking of American cities with the lowest cost-of-living.
• Shipshewana is ranked No. 5 on USA Today's 10 Best Midwestern Small Town List.
• Fort Wayne is ranked The Best City to Raise a Family by SmartAssets.com. 
• Downtown Fort Wayne's Coney Island was named No. 8 on Insider's list of the 25 Best Hot Dogs in America. 

2016

• Fort Wayne is ranked No. 1 in lowest cost of living in the United States by Business Insider. 
• Aol.com Finance ranked Fort Wayne No. 8 on a list of the nation's Top 15 Best Places to Live If You're Trying to Save Money.
• Shipshewana was named in Country Living's list of "40 American Towns You Haven't Heard of But Should Visit ASAP."
• Smart Asset named Parkview Field one of the Top 10 Minor League baseball cities.
• InsuranceProviders.com rated Fort Wayne the fifth-safest city in the United States.
• Travelocity named Fort Wayne No. 4 on a list of best cities to visit with kids. 

2015

• Fort Wayne had its biggest year yet with the city earning top accolades, including:
  • No. 34 in Vocativ’s list of the Best Cities for People 35 and under
  • No. 8 in Thrillist list of Cheapest Big Cities in America
  • No. 6 in Liveability’s list of Best Affordable Places to Live
  • Lawnstarter’s Quality of Life in America’s Largest Cities list
  • Wallethub’s Most Caring Cities in America
  • No. 7 in CreditKarma’s Top 10 Most Affordable Cities for Millennials to Buy a Home
  • Wallethub’s Top 10 Best-Run Cities in America
  • No. 5 in CBS News’ Top 9 Best Up-and-Coming Towns for College Grads
  • No. 11 in Wallethub’s Top 15 Best Cities to Start a Business
  • One of AARP’s Easiest Cities to Get Around
  • Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal Best Cities for Minor League Sports.
• Plus, Fort Wayne’s own Parkview Field was named the No. 1 best minor league baseball stadium by Stadium Journey and was No. 9 on Stadium Journey’s Top 10 Best Stadium Experiences of 2015.

2014

• Fort Wayne was named No. 9 in Nerdwallet’s Top 10 Cities for Quality of Life.
• Fort Wayne was listed No.11 on Forbes’s Opportunity Cities: Places It May Be Easier to Make Your Mark.
• Decatur, in DeKalb County, was named No. 3 in Save Wise’s Top 50 Safest Cities in Indiana. Five other cities in our region were also named in this list.

Earlier

• The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo was named No. 5 in Parents magazine’s list of the Top 10 Best Zoos for Kids.
• Family Tree named the Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Center as one of the top genealogy libraries.
• Business Week named Fort Wayne as one of the best places to raise children.
• The City of Fort Wayne was a three-time winner of the All-America City award given by the National League of Cities. 

Education

2018

• Northeast Indiana has two of the top-10 school districts in the state.

2017

• Two Allen County school systems landed in the Top 10 in a new report ranking districts throughout Indiana.
• Towles New Tech Middle School in Fort Wayne is recognized for excellence in education. 
• The University of Saint Francis was named one of the best value schools among Midwest regional universities by U.S. News and World Report.

2016

• BestColleges.com recognized Huntington University as one of the top online colleges in Indiana. HU is ranked No. 13 on the list of 25 schools.
• The University of Saint Francis has been named on the Master’s Programs Guide list for top online master's programs in healthcare administration. In their list of the top 50 such programs in the country, USF’s MHA degree is ranked at number 19.
• Ivy Tech Community College’s Advanced Automation and Robotic Technology program has been awarded the Indiana Career and Technical Education Program’s Award for Excellence.
• The Broadcast Education Association has announced that The Gift of Hope, by Huntington University Professor Dr. Lance Clark, won Best of Festival for the faculty video category.