AbstractGiven the recent influx of and changes in foreign direct investment, the purpose of this study is to identify the motives of foreign‐based multinational companies (MNCs) coming to the United States. Factor analysis is used to analyze the underlying pattern of the motives. The results are compared to findings of previous studies of FDI in the United States. The study also seeks differences among motives of different types of MNCs. Implications for policy and future research on FDI are discusse