Doing Business in the U.S.

On this page, you will find a quick description of resources available for companies in Austria considering investments in the United States and some suggestions for getting started.

Investing in the USA

President Obama announced the SelectUSA initiative to showcase the United States as the world’s premier business location and to provide easy access to federal-level programs and services related to business investment. SelectUSA is designed to complement the activities of our states—the primary drivers of economic development in the United States.

Why Select USA?

• World's Largest Economy
  • The United States is the world’s largest economy and has the world’s third-largest population, with a gross domestic product of over $14 trillion and a population of more than 310 million people. It is also one of the richest economies in the world. The country’s per capita GDP of over $47,000 leads all major developed economies.
• Competitive Business and Investment Climate
  • The United States consistently ranks at the top of most major indicators for its attractive business and investment climate.
• Commanding Consumer Market
  • With 310 million U.S. consumers and median household income of over $50,000, the U.S. market is highly diverse in consumer tastes, income, and national origin, and thus permits success in a wide variety of business models.
• Vast Internal Markets = Economies of Scale
  • The United States provides unique market opportunities, whether you are selling to a niche or have applications all along the supply chain.
• Center of Research and Innovation
  • The United States is the world’s center of innovation. The United States was responsible for 41 percent of all expenditures in research and development in developed countries in 2007. And almost half of all scientific researchers in the developed world work in the United States.
• World's Top Universities
  • The U.S. is home to the world’s top universities, boasting all of the top 5 spots, seven of the top 10, and more than half the top 50 places. The U.S. also leads in access to technology derived from critical basic research performed at its universities.
• The Global Leader in Information Technology
  • U.S. markets are among the world’s most open to new products, ideas and innovations. That is why so many companies located in the United States are world leaders in their product classes.
• Protector of Intellectual Property
  • The United States has established the world’s leading Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime, with nearly a million patent and trademark applications received each year.
• Highly Educated and Productive Workforce
  • Over 40 percent of Americans age 24 to 60 have completed a level of education beyond high school, considerably more than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 27 percent and the second highest among all developed countries. U.S. workers are also among the world's most productive -- producing $63,885 of wealth per year per worker on average, more than their counterparts in all other countries.

Getting Started

If your company is interested in investing in the United States, the U.S. Commercial Service can assist you: Invest in America (in German)

Visas

For information regarding business visas please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/ for detailed information.