Tuesday, January 29, 2019

What are the best performing cities in America? Hint: They have a strong tech presence!


A recent report from the Milken Institute ranks the top 25 best-performing large and small cities across the United States in 2018

BPC US 2018 WEB 1Large tech metropolises like San Francisco and Seattle continue to make it to the top of the Milken Institute’s best performing city list, but it is worth noting that economic growth is increasingly moving inland to states like Oregon and Utah. 

The recent report from the Milken Institute ranks the top 25 best-performing large and small cities across the United States in 2018, with the Provo-Orem, Utah metro area ranked as the best large city and Bend, Oregon, retaining its title as best small city for the third consecutive year.

The Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities U.S. index provides a way to measure which American metropolitan areas offer the greatest opportunities for prosperity and innovation across the nation. The BPC index measures each metro area’s economic performance using outcomes-based metrics such as job creation, wage gains, and technological developments to evaluate their relative growth.

The Rankings:
Provo-Orem, UT, holds steady at the top of our index, thanks to a dynamic high-tech sector, an educated workforce, and a business-friendly tax and regulatory climate.

Growth through tech is the reigning theme across America, with Silicon Valley and several of Northern California’s tech-focused metro areas in the top 20. 

Outside the Golden State, tech hubs such as Austin-Round Rock, TX, Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX, and Raleigh, NC, have also leveraged their educated workforce and competitive business climates to generate growth.

Top Ten Best-Performing Cities U.S. 2018

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) /
Metropolitan Division (MD)
2018 Rank
2017 Rank
Change
Provo-Orem, UT MSA
1
1
Steady
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA
2
11
+9
Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA
3
9
+6
San Francisco-Redwood City, CA MD
4
4
Steady
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX MD
5
3
-2
Raleigh, NC MSA
6
2
-4
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA
7
7
Steady
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA MD
8
17
+9
Fort Collins, CO MSA




9
5
-4








Salt Lake City, UT MSA
10
10
Steady