For the second year in a row, Texas metropolitan areas – led by the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area – dominated the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities Index. The results show that a business-friendly climate, a vibrant tech industry, and little exposure to the housing bubble kept Texas on stable ground during the economic downturn.
The 2010 top performers (with 2009 rankings) among the 200 largest metros:
1. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX (2)
2. Austin-Round Rock, TX (1)
3. Huntsville, AL (8)
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX (4)
5. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, WA (n.a.)
6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (25)
7. Raleigh-Cary, NC (10)
8. Anchorage, AK (40)
9. El Paso, TX (14)
10. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX (5)
The Best-Performing Cities Index includes both long-term (five years) and short-term (one year) measurements of employment and salary growth. There are also four measurements of technology output growth, which are included because of technology's crucial role in creating good jobs and driving regional economies. The index ranks 379 metros and categorizes them as large or small, based on whether their populations fall above or below 245,000. Population changes and modifications in how the census defines certain metropolitan areas added 55 metros to this year’s Index. Because of these changes, last year’s ranking is not available for all metros.
Data for all metros is available on www.milkeninstitute.org.
