The United States is “open for business!” 

An Overview

The United States is the premier location for new business investment, tops among all countries.  According to the latest Department of Commerce data, foreign direct investment stock into the United States and its territories rose to over $2.9 trillion at the end of 2014.  In that same year, new greenfield investment alone totaled $16.5 billion dollars in the United States.  

The U.S. economy, with a GDP of more than $17 trillion in 2014, and a population of over 320 million, offers investors extraordinary attractions and many possible locations.  The United States has a lucrative and open consumer market, as well as access via free trade agreements to about 425 million more customers for goods and services that are produced in the United States.

The American workforce is well-educated, productive, innovative, and mobile, and the United States has the flexibility through the American educational system to fashion training programs for the jobs of today and tomorrow.  The United States university system has a strong competitive advantage globally, fostering an innovation ecosystem that hosts and spins off research and development (R&D) programs that contribute to the country’s R&D activities.

Innovation is part of America’s DNA. Creating intellectual property is encouraged and the results are well-protected.  The American political system is a stable democracy and the legal system is transparent and predictable, all of which helps ensure that business investments are safe.

The American economy has robust supply chains for manufacturing.   The infrastructure spanning this large country works well and is also poised for new investment for further expansion and modernization.

With a land area that is the third largest in the world and encompasses an abundance of resources, a varied geography, and several climate zones, the United States offers investors a broad range of possible locations for investment.

The World’s Most Attractive Consumer Market

The United States holds the world’s most attractive consumer market, with a GDP of over $17 trillion and a population of more than 320 million people, resulting in a per capita GDP that is among the highest for the world’s major developed economies ($54,340 as of 2014).  The U.S. market is diverse in consumer tastes and has a range of income levels, thus permitting success for a wide variety of goods and services.  Whether it be a computer or other electronic device, a movie or a song, a large passenger airplane, or oil drilling equipment, trends in global markets often start in the United States.  Brands are not considered truly global until they penetrate the U.S. market.

In addition, the United States has entered into free trade agreements with 20 other countries, providing access to more than 425 million more customers for U.S. goods and services.

Businesses operating in small markets in other countries can become large, dynamic firms in the United States.  Large companies operating abroad can grow even more in the United States.

Competitive Investment and Business Climate

The stable U.S. government and business climate have led to the United States topping the 2015 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index for the third year in a row.  Indeed, the United States is the world’s most attractive market for venture capital and private equity funding.  (Ernst & Young and IESE Business School’s 2014 Global Venture Capital and Private Equity Country Attractiveness Index.)

Among countries with more than 10 million people, the United States is consistently ranked among the best in the world for its overall competitiveness (World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15), as well as for its overall “ease of doing business.”  (World Bank, Doing Business 2015.)

Highly Educated and Productive Workforce

The American workforce is highly educated. Over 57 percent of Americans in the civilian labor force over the age of 25 have completed a level of education beyond high school.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

U.S. workers are also among the world’s most productive, both in the value of a worker’s output per hour or over the course of a year.

The more than 157 million workers in the U.S. civilian labor force are diverse, flexible in the workplace, and mobile.  They have a long history of adapting to circumstances and stepping up to opportunities that present themselves.  It is part of the American spirit.

World’s Top Universities and Colleges

The United States is the home to the world’s best university and college system.  One study ranks various American universities among the top seven out of ten universities in the world. (Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2014-2015 .)

These universities and colleges undertake extensive research and development that contribute to America’s R&D activities. Indeed, new technologies and techniques are often developed in these universities and then expanded upon in nearby private companies, attracting new business investment. 

The extraordinary American universities and colleges are complemented by the Administration’s new emphasis on community colleges and other arrangements that offer job training programs for skilled workers to fill the employment needs of businesses.

Protecting Intellectual Property

The United States is the world’s leader in protecting intellectual property rights (IPR), whether patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other forms of IPR are involved.  For example, about a million patent and trademark applications are received each year.

Obtaining protection for these valuable business assets is simple and cost-effective.  The transparent and predictable legal system resolves disputes quickly, often before significant expense is incurred.  And businesses can rely on the U.S.’s comprehensive enforcement capabilities to protect their IP rights from infringement.

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