Alabama once again finds itself rated among the nation's best business climates, according to a survey of location consultants and corporate real estate executives by a national magazine.

Site Selection ranked Alabama sixth in its annual State Business Climate survey, up three spots from 2016.

The survey is a gauge of perception, but also the reality of high dollar activity in the state.

Alabama ranked fourth among the states in the magazine's Executive Survey, the most important component in the rankings, which supplies half of the overall score. It also shows steady improvement, as Alabama was ranked eighth last year and ninth two years ago.

Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield hailed the news.

"This high ranking from site selection professionals underscores the hard work put in by the Alabama economic development team, which competes every day to bring high-caliber jobs to communities across the state," he said. "We are going to continue our strategy of pursuing game-changing projects because we are committed to creating opportunities that position the state for future growth."

Among the factors weighed by the survey are workforce skills, transportation infrastructure, utilities, taxes, quality of life, permitting, incentives and higher education resources.

Neighboring Georgia finished atop the business climate rankings, its fifth year at No. 1. Eight of the top 10 states were from the South, with only Indiana and Ohio rounding it out.

In 2016, new capital investment in Alabama totaled $4.2 billion, with 14,700 anticipated jobs.