The entire Sunbelt is booming, and the seven states of the Southeast are leading the way. According to U.S. Census figures, the Southeast had a population in 2000 of 49 million people—approximately one-sixth of the national total. But, since 1990, that figure grew 20%, compared to only 12% for the rest of the country. In 2004, the Forbes list of best metro areas to launch a business included three Southeastern cities in the top ten; Atlanta ranks #1 on the Inc. Magazine 2004 list of top cities.

Economically, the figures are surprising. The economies of the seven Southeastern states totaled over $1.5 trillion in 2001. (Source: Dept. of Commerce.) If the region were ranked as a separate country, it would rank fifth in the world—behind the U.S., Japan, Germany, and the U.K., but ahead of France, China, Italy, Canada, Spain, Mexico, and India. (Source: World Bank.)

Note that we use the PWC MoneyTree definition of the Southeast: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.