Southern Business & Development magazine has ranked New Orleans as the top mid-market (pop. 250,000 to 749,999) of the year among southern cities. The city tied with Nashville.

“The Southern Business & Development rankings validate New Orleans’ role as a regional technology hub,” said New Orleans Business Alliance president and CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. “Through partnerships with the City, business community and higher education institutions, we are mobilizing the New Orleans workforce to meet the hiring needs of these employers. As the New Orleans economy continues to diversify, the resulting high-quality jobs have the potential to improve employment opportunities and the quality of life for all New Orleanians. We could not be more excited for the future.”

According to a press release from the New Orleans Business Alliance, New Orleans experienced several major economic developments:

• DXC Technology’s 2,000-job digital transformation center
• Accruent’s 350-job technology center
• LM Wind Power’s addition of 100 jobs to the NASA Michoud campus
• Dixie Brewing Company’s expansion to New Orleans East.

Louisiana as a whole also fared well within the rankings. Southern Business & Development ranked the state second in best economic development performance in the region. This is the 11th year in a row that Louisiana has secured one of the two top spots in the 100 Top Deals and Hot Markets issue.

“The Southern Business & Development rankings confirm our success in creating great economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana,” Governor John Bel Edwards said. “By forming strategic public-private partnerships, by harnessing the capacity of our higher education systems, and by expanding training opportunities throughout our state, Louisiana is a trailblazer of the South for innovation and economic growth. I’m proud that we continue to attract leading employers, and I’m truly excited about the new career options and quality of life that we’re delivering in Lousiana today.”

You can read more about the Southern Business & Development 100 report at SB-D.com.