A tortilla-manufacturing firm is in a high-growth phase of their business cycle. They are looking for an MSA to locate their expanding operations with an expected 250 employees. Where should they begin their search? What are the key attributes around their geolocation decision? Let’s start with labor availability.
According to LaborEQ™, they should give the following regions a serious look:
| Region |
Labor Availability |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA MSA |
99% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA |
100% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI MSA |
100% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MSA |
97% |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX MSA |
99% |
| Source: LaborEQ |
The top 3 occupations needed for a firm in this industry are:
- Bakers
- Food Batchmakers
- Packers and Packagers, Hand
Source: JobsEQ®
Wages are another important consideration. They are affected by the cost of living in a region. So how competitive are the MSAs where the most bakers live and work today? If we consider the wages and regional cost of living for the top 10 regions in the nation that employ the most bakers, Houston has the lowest annual average wage for bakers, $22,100 with a related cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 92.9 where the U.S. COLA equals 100. In other words, the COLA in Houston is 8% lower than the average of the nation. Home values are an important component of COLA. And for regions employing the most bakers, Houston’s home values are certainly more affordable for employees that work in tortilla manufacturing.
| US Rank |
Region |
Employment |
Avg. Annual Wages |
Cost of Living Index |
Median House Value |
| 1 |
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA MSA |
12,810 |
$28,000 |
154.5 |
$400,000 |
| 2 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA MSA |
8,707 |
$25,100 |
153.6 |
$454,200 |
| 3 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI MSA |
6,982 |
$26,300 |
102.9 |
$217,300 |
| 4 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA |
4,083 |
$23,800 |
97.4 |
$151,900 |
| 5 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA |
3,946 |
$29,200 |
136.9 |
$363,600 |
| 6 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX MSA |
3,751 |
$22,100 |
92.9 |
$144,000 |
| 7 |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA MSA |
3,740 |
$23,200 |
99.9 |
$167,400 |
| 8 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL MSA |
3,581 |
$24,300 |
112.3 |
$188,700 |
| 9 |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA |
3,489 |
$28,300 |
108.3 |
$237,600 |
| 10 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA MSA |
3,229 |
$30,200 |
204.5 |
$592,000 |
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