Site Certification Ratings Methodology

How StateGrowth compares documented state site certification standards. Missing evidence is not treated as a verified requirement.

Every state describes site readiness differently. We read each program's official guidelines and map what it asks for onto a fixed list of 22 requirements, grouped into Site Control & Zoning, Environmental, Geotechnical & Survey, Utilities, Access & Logistics, and Local Support. Each requirement gets one of four statuses:

The Readiness Rigor score measures how much documentation a program demands, expressed 0–100. It is the share of a state's assessed requirements that are required:

Every rated profile links to the official program pages it was built from, and each state carries a "last verified" date. Programs change often, so treat these profiles as a starting point and confirm current requirements with the administering agency. Some programs are tiered or apply requirements conditionally; those states carry a comparability note explaining how to read their score.