Chief Executive magazine ranks Indiana as the fifth best state in the nation for business right now, and the numbers can back that up, says Brad Chambers, Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce.

“The business economy in Indiana is robust and I think it’s really because of our decades-long reputation as a place to do business,” Chambers told Inside Indiana Business. “So, Indiana businesses have the confidence of Indiana’s stability and they’re investing.”

“Average hourly wage is up, which is a really important metric for us on the transactions that have happened in 2021, and that results in total payroll being up in the state of Indiana. It’s over $1.6 billion, I think,” Chambers said. “Total investment by businesses, foreign and domestic, is up 23% in 2021. That’s a big number. That means confidence in our state.”

Chambers points to some of the big investments made this year in Indiana, like Toyota’s $800 million expansion in Princeton, which will create more than 1,000 new jobs.

He also says Indiana continues to grow in the solar energy landscape. In October, Doral Renewable broke ground on a $1.5 billion solar farm in Starke and Pulaski counties.