1. WORKFORCE

Tampa Bay ranked among the top 10 large metro areas for college-educated young talent on the move. The latest Census data reveals that young people aged 25 to 29 are increasingly more mobile and willing to move to new cities, very often in new states, in search of jobs.

2. K-12 EDUCATION

Florida leads the nation in high school seniors taking Advanced Placement exams at nearly 50 percent. Florida also ranks sixth in the nation for the percentage of students who score a 3 or higher on the AP exam at 23.9 percent, compared to the national average of 18.1 percent.

3. PROGRESSIVE TRAINING

An independent analysis of the CareerEdge Funders Collaborative by Urban Market Ventures found that the investments made by the nonprofit workforce-development program is producing millions of dollars in new wages and economic impact for the Tampa Bay region.

4. MILITARY INVESTMENT

Tampa Bay is home to MacDill Air Force Base, the only military installation that hosts two, four-star Combatant Commands, the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. MacDill contributes $5 billion annually to the greater Tampa Bay economy.

5. AMAZING PARKS AND RECREATION

Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park was named among America’s Best New Parks by The Atlantic Cities. Completed in 2011, the waterfront park serves as a more natural connection between the water, downtown, and the new Children’s Museum and Tampa Art Museum. Tampa Bay’s beloved public spaces spread throughout the region provide gathering places for families, friends, colleagues, and events from small to large scale.

6. PROMISING AND ADMIRED COMPANIES

Some of America’s most promising companies are located in Tampa Bay. Sarasota-based Internet communication systems and service provider, Star2Star Communications was named among America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes. The company also made the 2011 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies.

7. INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITIES

The University of South Florida is ranked 50^th in the nation for research expenditures by the National Science Foundation among all U.S. universities, public or private, joining the ranks of Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Yale and Harvard.

8. EXPANSIVE MEDIA REACH

The Tampa Bay region is the 14th largest television media market in the country, with 1.79 million TV households, according to Nielsen Media Research. That means Tampa Bay has 1.6 percent of all television households in the United States. It is the largest market in Florida – surpassing Miami. If you’re looking for media exposure, you’ve found it.

9. LOW COST OF DOING BUSINESS

According to a KPMG business cost study, the Tampa Bay market is the nation’s lowest cost large market for Corporate Services, International Financial Services and Shared Services – a testament to strong business, financial and data services sector in Tampa Bay.  KPMG’s 2012 Competitive Alternatives study measured 26 significant cost components over a 10 year planning horizon.  Bottom line – Tampa Bay is a great place for business.

10. HOT ENTREPRENEURIAL ENVIRONMENT

According to FastCompany Magazine, Florida’s start-up environment is soaring high. From the HuB in Sarasota to Tampa Bay WaVE’s First WaVE program to large events such as Start-Up Weekend and initiatives like the Tampa Bay 6/20 Plan, Tampa Bay’s entrepreneurial environment is setting up for start-up success.