If you want to trade stocks, go to New York. But, if you want to build a data center, you are better off in Sioux Falls, S.D., according to a report by Princeton, N.J.-based The Boyd Co., a site selection consultant firm. Out of 35 cities, Sioux Falls had the lowest operating costs, $9.7 million, for a 125,000-square-foot data center with a 75-person staff. New York, the most expensive city according to the report, was 45 percent more expensive at $14.1 million. In general, the most expensive locations were large East and West Coast cities, while the cheapest were in the nation's heartland. The firm considered the cost of land, labor, transportation and power, as well as the risk of man-made or natural disasters.

Source: The Boyd Co., “Banking & Financial Services: A Comparative Cost Analysis for Information Assurance Operations,” Oct. 23, 2006