Foreign investment in US Tampa heads the list of best places for foreign businesses in latest FT-Nikkei ranking Previously dominant Texas cities fall down rankings amid trade war risks

Tampa is the best US city for foreign multinationals to do business according to the third edition of rankings newly compiled by the Financial Times and Nikkei. It gained the top spot thanks to its strong performance across a range of indicators: a competitive business environment has been boosted by falling utility costs, while in terms of quality of life, the city has experienced a major reduction in crime.

The FT-Nikkei Investing in America ranking showcases the top US cities for international business. The ranking measures cities across more than four dozen metrics important to foreign investors.

New to this edition is a ‘trade war resilience’ category, which takes into account a local economy’s reliance on imports and exports. Texas, home to previous winner Houston and four other cities in the 2023 top ten, has seen its cities slide down the rankings due to their export-oriented economies and reliance on imports from countries such as Mexico.

Explore the full list below with our interactive tool — you can adjust the weightings to produce a customised ranking that better reflects your priorities.