How to use the U.S. Midwest Site Selector

Logistics Today's Site Selector offers an objective ranking of 362 U.S. cities based on criteria important to logistics professionals.

This customized listing looks at the top 50 cites and metropolitan areas located in the U.S. Midwest, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Site Selector is based on material developed by Expansion Management and Logistics Today.

The Site Selector matrix provides an overall ranking of each city within the Midwest region, as well as an indication of the city's national ranking. Other ranking categories include:

Transportation and distribution (T&D) industry is based on businesses and employment base providing transportation, distribution, warehousing and related services.
Work force/labor is geared to existing and available logistics-related workers in the area.
Road infrastructure measures factors like available lane miles per capita, interstate highway access, miles of paved roads, etc.
Road density, congestion and safety ranks the city on traffic volumes and delays as well as accident statistics and other factors affecting the smooth flow of traffic.
Road condition draws on state performance and includes condition of highways and bridges, among other measures.
Interstate highway includes access to interstate highways, spending on highway construction and maintenance, etc.
Taxes and fees provides a measure of logistics-related costs, including highway and fuel taxes, inventory taxes (where present), etc.
Railroad offers a state-based rank of access to Class 1 and other rail services, miles of track, etc.
Waterborne commerce includes ocean port capacity as well as inland waterways.
Air cargo ranks the city on its access to cargo services, including widebody passenger service by combination carriers, international and expedited services.