| According to the United States Census Bureau, 40 | | | | as well as lead to lower productivity over time. The |
| million Americans move each year. There are no hard | | | | cost of housing can also affect the ability of |
| statistics on the number of businesses that relocate, | | | | companies to attract and retain quality employees. For |
| but there is a growing trend towards businesses | | | | example, some employers in Palm Beach County, |
| relocating outside of major metropolitan areas to cut | | | | Florida, where the median home price is over $450,000 |
| costs for themselves and their employees.There are | | | | have had trouble recently in recruiting employees from |
| five main reasons why companies decide to relocate, | | | | out of state.However, when businesses consider |
| according to economic development researchers. | | | | relocating to less expensive, less congested areas of |
| They are: access to a quality labor pool, the need to | | | | the country they have to consider access to a quality |
| upgrade facilities or equipment, the need to reach new | | | | labor pool. There are many cities in the Midwest and |
| markets, the wish to lower costs and overhead and | | | | South that are large enough to support a corporate |
| finally, quality of life issues.It is this last item that affects | | | | headquarters, but often do not have the highly trained |
| employees most directly. Cost of living has a large | | | | workforce required. Community colleges and local |
| impact on the quality of life for the average American. | | | | workforce development agencies are working to |
| For example, the cost of living in Springfield, Missouri is | | | | correct this imbalance but it may be many years |
| estimated to be just 60% of the national average. | | | | before skilled labor is available in those places.There |
| Compare that to a large metropolitan area like Miami | | | | are certain cities that have thrived due to their |
| where it costs 113% more that the national average. | | | | combination of high quality of life and available skilled |
| Larger cities like New York, Boston and Los Angeles | | | | workforce including Austin and San Antonio, TX; |
| are almost off the map compared to the national | | | | Orlando, FL; and Nashua, NH. These cities continue to |
| average.Quality of life isn't just about money, either. | | | | grown economically while larger cities like New York, |
| Commuting time and costs in larger metropolitan areas | | | | Boston and Los Angeles continue to lose businesses |
| can seriously affect the mood and morale of workers | | | | to either suburbs or smaller cities. |