Ranking topic
Best Cities for AI Companies
Underlying metro indicators for AI company location screening; no ordered list is published until sourced AI-specific indicators are loaded.
Data updated:
Geography: CBSA (metropolitan statistical area), OMB Bulletin 23-01 (July 2023) — never city limits.
Publication status
Underlying Data, No Ordered List Yet
An ordered list for ai companies will be published once the indicators most relevant to ai companies are loaded. Until then, this page shows the underlying data.
Select a column heading to sort. Default view is alphabetical by CBSA title.
| State convention | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro AreaCBSA 12060 | 7.21 cents/kWh | 18 of 50 | 3.2% | 3.4% | Georgia |
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro AreaCBSA 12420 | 6.12 cents/kWh | 7 of 50 | 4% | 3.6% | Texas |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro AreaCBSA 14460 | 18.19 cents/kWh | 43 of 50 | 4.3% | 4.5% | Massachusetts |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro AreaCBSA 16740 | 7.77 cents/kWh | 13 of 50 | 3.7% | 4.2% | North Carolina |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro AreaCBSA 16980 | 8.83 cents/kWh | 38 of 50 | 4.9% | 4.7% | Illinois |
Columbus, OH Metro AreaCBSA 18140 | 7.1 cents/kWh | 39 of 50 | 3.2% | 4.5% | Ohio |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro AreaCBSA 19100 | 6.12 cents/kWh | 7 of 50 | 4.6% | 4.2% | Texas |
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro AreaCBSA 19740 | 8.62 cents/kWh | 33 of 50 | 4.1% | 4% | Colorado |
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN Metro AreaCBSA 26900 | 8.15 cents/kWh | 10 of 50 | 3.4% | 3.8% | Indiana |
Kansas City, MO-KS Metro AreaCBSA 28140 | 7.87 cents/kWh | 12 of 50 | 3.8% | 4.3% | Missouri |
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Metro AreaCBSA 29820 | 8.64 cents/kWh | 20 of 50 | 5.4% | 5.9% | Nevada |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metro AreaCBSA 33100 | 8.5 cents/kWh | 5 of 50 | 3.7% | 3.5% | Florida |
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro AreaCBSA 33460 | 9.15 cents/kWh | 44 of 50 | 4.4% | 3.8% | Minnesota |
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro AreaCBSA 34980 | 6.21 cents/kWh | 8 of 50 | 3% | 3.3% | Tennessee |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro AreaCBSA 36740 | 8.5 cents/kWh | 5 of 50 | 4.7% | 4.1% | Florida |
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro AreaCBSA 38060 | 7.9 cents/kWh | 14 of 50 | 4.8% | 4.3% | Arizona |
Pittsburgh, PA Metro AreaCBSA 38300 | 7.87 cents/kWh | 36 of 50 | 3.7% | 4.6% | Pennsylvania |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro AreaCBSA 38900 | 8.05 cents/kWh | 35 of 50 | 4.9% | 5.2% | Oregon |
Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro AreaCBSA 39580 | 7.77 cents/kWh | 13 of 50 | 3.2% | 3.4% | North Carolina |
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT Metro AreaCBSA 41620 | 7.86 cents/kWh | 15 of 50 | 3.5% | 3.7% | Utah |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro AreaCBSA 41700 | 6.12 cents/kWh | 7 of 50 | 4.7% | 4.2% | Texas |
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro AreaCBSA 41740 | 21.53 cents/kWh | 48 of 50 | 4.7% | 5% | California |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro AreaCBSA 42660 | 6.61 cents/kWh | 45 of 50 | 5% | 4.6% | Washington |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro AreaCBSA 45300 | 8.5 cents/kWh | 5 of 50 | 4.8% | 4.1% | Florida |
A low unemployment rate indicates a tight labor market, which can make hiring harder. It is shown for context, not ranked.
Relevant categories
What Will Feed This Topic
An ordered list for AI companies will be published once the indicators most relevant to AI companies are loaded. Until then, this page shows the underlying data.
| Category or factor | Current use |
|---|---|
| Workforce & Talent Pipeline | Survey-weighted category; raw indicators are shown without a category calculation. |
| Power & Energy | Survey-weighted category; raw indicators are shown without a category calculation. |
| Operating Cost Structure | Survey-weighted category; raw indicators are shown without a category calculation. |
Related ranking topics
| Topic | Status |
|---|---|
| Best Cities for Tech Companies | Underlying data only |
| Best Cities for Startups | Underlying data only |
| Best Cities for Data Centers | Underlying data only |
Sources used on this page
- U.S. Energy Information Administration. Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10, Year 2024 final.
- Tax Foundation. 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, 2026 edition (tax systems as of July 1, 2025).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release, Table 1, Released September 2, 2026; July 2026 preliminary and July 2025 reference months.
- Area Development, 40th Annual Corporate and 22nd Annual Consultant Site Selection Survey, Q1 2026. Category weights only; no composite calculation is published.
Composite calculations are not published. Figures shown are taken directly from the cited sources without adjustment.
All figures are reported at the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) level as delineated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, not city limits. Where a series is only published at state level, that is stated in the indicator table. Full source provenance and category weights.