Chicagoland again led the nation in corporate projects in 2025, according to Site Selection magazine.
The trade publication found that the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area, which includes most of Northwest Indiana, had more than 600 corporate end-user facility projects last year. That exceeded Houston's 590 projects and Dallas-Fort Worth's 410 projects.
Chicagoland accounted for nearly 20% of the 3,100 corporate investments the trade publication tracks. Site Selection cited the new 1 million-square-foot Amazon distribution center just off Interstate 65 in Merrillville as an example of one of the major projects Chicagoland attracted last year.
Site Selection said the Chicagoland metro ranked so highly due to its central location, 9.4 million people and vast geographical area that spans more than 10,000 square miles and three states.
Andrew Hayes, vice president of marketing communications for World Business Chicago, told that magazine that Chicagoland benefited from its global connectivity, diversified economy, human capital, space for growth and long-term economic stability.
“This momentum is not accidental,” he told Site Selection. "It is the result of a region with unmatched logistics power, a diversified and resilient economic base, and a nearly five-million–person workforce spanning advanced research to essential operations. Add to that over 150,000 students entering the regional economy each year, competitive utilities, abundant water, scalable industrial space and a deliberate focus on vibrancy as an economic driver — and you have a market built for sustained corporate growth.”
Indianapolis ranked No. 8 nationally.
Chicagoland boasted a workforce of 5 million and a gross regional product of $886 billion, which is up 27% since 2019 and which would rank it as one of the world's largest economies. The Chicagoland metro that includes Northwest Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin, is home to 252,322 businesses. More than $4.32 billion was invested in new startups last year, according to Site Selection.
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