The U.S. South is described as business-friendly. Whether it is quality of workforce or infrastructure, you’ll find North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida ranking among the best. From labor to land, costs are low and regulations are minimal. It is a diverse region. Charlotte, Nashville, and Atlanta serve as Fortune 500 headquarters. South Carolina acts as a manufacturing hub. Florida is a gateway to the Atlantic and the Gulf. When it comes to energy production and culture, Louisiana is in a class of its own. Such opportunity attracts MBAs from across the country, who are paid handsomely for their talents. Dartmouth Tuck MBAs head the list, earning $145,083 in base. Wharton, Harvard, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, NYU Stern, and Virginia Darden grads also collect $130K or more to start. In fact, one Booth grad pulled down a cool $250K to re-locate here in 2018. The downside, unfortunately, is pay remains relatively stagnant beyond the brand-name schools. Just 10 programs saw pay rise by $10K or more since 2015 – and just five outside the ten highest-paid programs.