Gov. Nathan Deal is celebrating the announcement by CNBC that named Georgia as the No. 1 place for business in the nation.

“Since taking office, I have worked every day to make Georgia the No. 1 place in the nation in which to do business,” Deal said. “These rankings are a testament to the commitment from Georgia businesses, communities, our economic development partners and the people of Georgia.

“As more people see Georgia’s successes, more businesses will consider expanding or relocating here. I am confident that our state’s highly skilled workforce and seamlessly connected logistics infrastructure will enable these businesses to be successful and competitive.”

“We’ve been crunching numbers for months, looking for a state whose business climate is solid as a rock,” said Scott Cohn, senior correspondent and lead investigative reporter at CNBC. “Georgia, the Peach State, the cream of the crop, with 1,659 out of 2,500 points, it’s a big jump from Georgia’s eighth place finish last year. Georgia’s best category, its workforce, tops in the nation for the third year in a row. Georgia ties for first in infrastructure with America’s busiest airport and one of its busiest ports.”

Georgia has ranked among the top 10 states in CNBC’s business climate rankings over the last 10 years, and moves up from No. 8 last year.

“Being named America’s top state for business by CNBC is another win for everyone involved in economic development in Georgia,” said Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development Chris Carr. “This new ranking reconfirms what Governor Deal has been touting — Georgia is the No. 1 place in the nation to do business.”