Photo Credit: The Town of Mount Pleasant 

The Charleston region’s economy continues its growth momentum and strong performance earning new accolades and maintaining top rankings for business, international investment, lifestyle and more. As we begin the new year, here’s a quick snapshot of Charleston’s globally competitive economy:

#1 Travel Destination in the United States

Charleston held strong in Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Reader’s Choice survey, citing its “…dynamic food scene…thriving theater scene, bustling King Street, and historic City Market” as reasons the city has kept its title for the Top Destination in the U.S. for the fifth consecutive year, this time in the Small City category.

#3 for Doing Business in the United States (South Carolina)

The state of South Carolina was once again ranked in the “Top 5” states for business environment, labor climate, and infrastructure/global access by site selection consultants in Area Development’s  annual survey and ranking.

#9 Small American City of the Future for FDI Strategy

Among 421 locations analyzed and ranked based on population size, Charleston was featured in FDI Magazine as one of the Top 10 Small American Cities of the Future for FDI Strategy 2015-16.

#12 for Venture Capital “First Fundings” by Population and Deal Concentration

The region’s technology growth earned Charleston a number 12 spot on a 2015 Brookings’ venture capital “first fundings” ranking based on deal concentration per capita. With 17 first funding deals made the previous year, Charleston ranked three times higher than the United States per-capita level of first venture fundings.

#17 Best Performing City in the Nation

Cracking the Top 20 on Milken’s Best Performing Cities Index, the Charleston region climbed 22 spots to rank No. 17 on the 2015 edition, out-performing the national average in nearly every economic category. Also noted in the index, the region’s tech sector grew 16 percent faster than the national average (2009-2014), making it the 12th in the U.S.

To stay up-to-date on Charleston’s accolades throughout the year, visit the Awards and Rankings section of CRDA’s website.