Seattle ranks among the best US cities for foreign investment, fueling concerns about the business climate
Seattle has dropped a new ranking of the best places in the US to attract foreign business and investment, creating new concerns and criticism in the ongoing debate about the business climate of both the city and the state of Washington.
The fifth annual list compiled by Britain’s Financial Times and stock market index Nikkei ranks Seattle 13th out of 95 US cities – down 11 places from last year’s second place.
The ranking measures cities on more than a dozen metrics that FT-Nikkei calls important to foreign investors, including energy resilience, trade war resilience, labor and talent, openness, business environment, foreign business needs, quality of life, and investment trends. (See more about how to do it here.)
Seattle’s average score was 62 out of 100. No. 1 Boston jumped 10 spots with 73 points.
Seattle scored 65 last year to jump eight spots to No. 2 on a list that obviously has some annual fluctuations. This year, the city dropped slightly in several categories, but its score actually increased in investment trends, a category that looks at how much foreign and domestic investment the city has attracted in 2025, as well as its annual GDP per capita.
The report and Seattle’s place in it managed to send another shock wave — at least on LinkedIn — through the tech community, which has been at loggerheads over Seattle’s perceived anti-business image.
Kirby Winfield, founder of Seattle venture capital firm, Ascend, shared photos on LinkedIn showing Seattle’s slide and said, “As a Seattle native it kills me to see reports like this.”
Reactions to comments on Winfield’s post were mixed, with some describing the ratings as “ambiguous” and the weights in the ratings. Others have pushed back any list that would rank New York (28) and San Francisco (33) so far.
But there was a general tone among those who said Seattle and the state are inviting these kinds of positions with policies that push business and technology leaders.
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“I have never seen a city government that hates businesses so much, especially small businesses,” wrote veterinarian Charlie Anthe.
“Seattle’s decline is not happening,” wrote Michael Hatch, an independent wealth manager. “It’s the result of policy decisions that have made it difficult for businesses, large and small, to operate here – the weight of new city taxes, the highest minimum wage in the country, and a level of chaos on the streets that no business can afford.”
Others have talked about moving out of Washington to places like Dallas or New York, echoing a trend that has seen other high-profile entrepreneurs collapse in recent years: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos moved to Miami; former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz also went to Miami; and Expedia and Zillow founder Rich Barton recently left Las Vegas.
While Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson made headlines in April for giving a real wave and saying “bye” to wealthy residents who threatened to leave, others in Winfield’s posts this week expressed a desire to bring the community together and fix what needs fixing.
“Seattle’s innovations have changed the world. From the devices we use every day, to the way we shop, to communication,” wrote startup founder Curtis Crimmins. “The collapse of this culture was swift and brutal. I’m passionate about how we’re going to bring it back, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help us get there.”
