United States

Analysis Grades Chicago On Chances to Land 2nd Amazon HQ, And it Doesn't Look Good

Chicago gets an “F” for stability in a new analysis grading big cities' chances to lure Amazon in its quest to find a second headquarters that's sparked a bidding war across the nation.

In the analysis, conducted by CNBC, cities' bids were graded based on Amazon’s four main criteria: having more than 1 million people, a “stable, business friendly environment,” talent retention and creative thinking.

On the bright side, Chicago landed an “A+” for population, the analysis found.

But that’s about as good as it gets.

The city was given an “F” for stability, a “D-” for talent, a “C-” for location.

The Windy City’s letter average?

A “D+.”

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"This Amazon opportunity is a home run for Illinois or wherever they choose to go," Gov. Bruce Rauner told CNBC last month. "Our tax revenues will go up by billions of dollars when we win Amazon. So we can easily afford it. Them coming here helps us with our challenges."

But the analysis said those challenges are “formidable.”

“Not only are the state's finances a mess, its regulatory structure is difficult. The state does well in higher education but poorly for its overall workforce,” the report states, adding that Illinois has the worst credit ranking in the United States and wallows budgetary crises.

Illinois bid $2.25 billion in tax breaks and incentives for the second Amazon headquarters to be built at one of 10 Chicago-area locations.

The state, however, didn’t come in dead last.

Anchorage, Alaska and Scarborough, Maine both failed entirely, each earning a letter grade average of “F.”

Here's how the other contenders ranked overall:

Newark NJ: D+

New York, NY: D

Cle/Col/Cin, OH: C-

Austin, TX: B-

Atlanta, GA: B-

Seattle, WA: B-

Denver, CO A+ B- B- F 2.42 C+

Salt Lake City, UT: B-

Orlando FL: C

PGH/PHL, PA: D+

Detroit MI: C+

Boston MA: C+

Minneapolis MN: C+

DC/VA: B-

Portland, OR: C-

RAL/CLT/GSO, NC: B

Hickory, NC: C-

PHO/TUC, AZ: C

Nashville, TN: B-

Las Vegas, NV: C

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