Last Friday Dr. Michael Hicks – Director and Professor of Economics at the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University – presented his annual “State of Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card.
Among his findings, Dr. Hicks identified the environment for manufacturing and logistics in Indiana as among the strongest in the nation. Both categories of industrial activity received an “A”.
Important manufacturing measures included: the share of total income earned by manufacturing employees in each state, wage premium paid to manufacturing workers relative to the other states’ employees and the share of manufacturing employment per capita.
Logistics measures assessed included: the share of total logistics industry income as a share of total state income, logistics employmentper capita , commodity flows data by both rail and road, and infrastructure spending as the per capita expenditure on highway construction.
Also noteworthy, Dr. Hicks assessment of Indiana export measures, growth of exports and increasing foreign direct investment prompted him to award the state and “A” for “Global Reach” – a measure of the level of Indiana’s interaction with the international community.
Indiana’s “Tax Climate” – among the top 20% relative to other states – was ranked based on income tax, sales tax, unemployment insurance tax, and property taxes. Indiana retained an “A” in this category.
Located at the heart of the “Crossroads of America”, the Indianapolis Industrial Center provides “Heavy Duty Logistics Support” for manufacturing and logistics industry leaders.