A playbook for navigating the modern American South
The nine-state American South is now the largest economic region in the United States — bigger than the Northeast and the Pacific. Drawn as a country, it would rank as a top-three economy in the world. No longer the part of the country playing catch-up, the South is where America’s next quarter-century gets decided. Disciplined political-risk analysis has long been reserved for emerging markets and countries around the world. No one turned that lens on the American South, until now.
What's Inside
- Executive Summary — the thesis and statistics that define the region in 2026
- 6 Key Risk Factors — where the federal agenda is colliding with the southern economy
- 6 Key Questions — insurance, FDI, data centers, federal-funds exposure, and the political map
- 9 State Assessments — detailed briefings on AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA
- Tech in the New South — why power is the binding constraint on regional growth
- 8 Bets for 2027 — the forward-looking calls we would make
Who It's For
Business leaders making site-selection and capital-allocation decisions. Policymakers and civic leaders operating across the region. Investors tracking foreign direct investment and industrial policy. Journalists covering the American South.
Media Mentions
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“”Accelerating South — the first political-risk analysis of the nine-state American South — maps the [data center] buildout at ground level.”
“The federal government is more southern than ever. We name leaders who hail from each of those states, their issues, and where they sit in the federal apparatus.”
“Howard Franklin and his team at Ohio River South have built something that’s sorely needed: a data-driven, plainly-worded assessment of what is actually happening across the American South.” — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens
“Accelerating South is an acknowledgement that the South has been accelerating at a tremendously rapid pace. It is the cultural, economic, and political center of the country.”
“The report examines economic and political trends across nine Southern states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Census Bureau and state economic development agencies.”
“. . . released a new report arguing that the South is now the country’s true economic and political center, noting that if the region were its own country it would have the third-largest economy in the world.”
Media:
insights@ohioriversouth.com
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