New Geography

Author: Mark Schill

  • Midsize Cities Information Jobs – 2014 Best Cities Rankings

    View the Best Cities for Information Jobs 2014 List

    2014 MSA Info  Ranking – Midsized MSAs Area 2014 Weighted INDEX 2013 Information Employment 20012-13 Info Growth 2014 Ranking Change from 2013 – Midsized MSAs
    1 Provo-Orem, UT 93.0                  9.8 10.5% 3
    2 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 90.3                  3.2 5.4% 1
    3 Madison, WI 85.5                12.6 1.9% 2
    4 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 84.7                  4.3 -0.8% (2)
    5 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 83.7                12.0 5.9% 13
    6 Baton Rouge, LA 83.2                  5.5 6.4% 1
    7 Huntsville, AL 82.8                  2.7 3.8% 2
    8 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 79.0                  3.7 2.8% 3
    9 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC 78.4                  5.2 2.0% 20
    10 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 77.7                  3.1 5.6% 70
    11 El Paso, TX 77.2                  5.8 -2.8% 13
    12 Boise City-Nampa, ID 74.6                  4.5 3.1% 29
    13 Lincoln, NE 73.1                  2.5 -1.3% 59
    14 Worcester, MA-CT NECTA 71.8                  3.6 0.0% 9
    15 Springfield, MA-CT NECTA 71.0                  3.9 6.3% 13
    16 Tallahassee, FL 69.6                  3.4 2.0% 10
    17 Spokane, WA 69.0                  2.9 -3.3% (1)
    18 Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division 69.0                  2.9 3.6% 55
    19 Knoxville, TN 68.7                  5.6 -0.6% 8
    20 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 68.7                  2.1 -1.6% 23
    21 Ann Arbor, MI 68.2                  4.1 2.5% 12
    22 Jackson, MS 67.7                  4.7 -3.4% (12)
    23 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 64.8                  4.4 3.1% 30
    24 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 63.9                  6.2 2.2% 21
    25 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 63.1                  3.1 1.1% 12
    26 Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 62.8                  2.1 3.3% 14
    27 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC 62.0                  6.7 -0.5% (10)
    28 Akron, OH 61.5                  3.9 1.7% 20
    29 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 61.3                  2.6 2.6% (15)
    30 Montgomery, AL 60.3                  2.2 0.0% 2
    31 Columbia, SC 60.3                  5.4 -0.6% 36
    32 York-Hanover, PA 60.2                  1.8 1.9% (11)
    33 Winston-Salem, NC 59.4                  2.0 3.5% 44
    34 Springfield, MO 58.9                  3.9 2.7% 0
    35 Anchorage, AK 58.5                  4.5 1.5% 25
    36 Mobile, AL 57.6                  2.0 1.7% 27
    37 Toledo, OH 57.3                  3.4 -1.0% (12)
    38 Asheville, NC 56.6                  1.9 0.0% (26)
    39 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 56.4                  2.1 -3.1% (33)
    40 Boulder, CO 56.3                  8.4 0.0% (10)
    41 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 56.3                  5.1 -1.9% (2)
    42 Corpus Christi, TX 54.6                  2.1 -1.6% 14
    43 Fort Wayne, IN 54.6                  3.3 -3.0% (30)
    44 Trenton-Ewing, NJ 53.6                  5.4 -4.1% (43)
    45 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 52.1                  3.3 -1.0% 24
    46 Fresno, CA 50.7                  3.8 0.9% (26)
    47 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 50.2                  2.5 -7.4% (28)
    48 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 46.7                  2.5 0.0% 17
    49 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 45.9                  2.4 1.4% 8
    50 Tucson, AZ 44.2                  4.3 1.6% 0
    51 Framingham, MA  NECTA Division 44.0                  5.3 -3.6% (15)
    52 Kansas City, KS 43.4                15.2 3.2% (6)
    53 Canton-Massillon, OH 43.4                  1.7 0.0% (9)
    54 Lexington-Fayette, KY 42.8                  5.6 -5.1% 4
    55 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 42.4                  8.3 -3.1% (6)
    56 Colorado Springs, CO 42.2                  6.9 -5.0% (21)
    57 Chattanooga, TN-GA 41.9                  2.8 -2.3% 30
    58 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 40.7                  4.9 1.4% 18
    59 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 40.6                  1.8 -3.5% 9
    60 Green Bay, WI 38.5                  1.9 -3.4% (9)
    61 Lancaster, PA 37.7                  3.1 0.0% 9
    62 Calvert-Charles-Prince George’s, MD 37.4                  5.2 -5.5% (47)
    63 Lafayette, LA 37.2                  2.5 -5.1% 22
    64 Savannah, GA 37.1                  1.3 -4.8% 0
    65 Peoria, IL 35.2                  2.2 -8.3% (34)
    66 Syracuse, NY 34.4                  4.5 -3.6% (12)
    67 Tulsa, OK 33.6                  7.7 -2.5% (8)
    68 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 33.3                  7.1 -2.3% 14
    69 Albuquerque, NM 32.9                  7.4 -7.9% (61)
    70 Reading, PA 32.7                  1.3 -4.9% (48)
    71 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 31.2                  1.4 -2.3% 7
    72 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 30.8                  2.3 -2.8% 12
    73 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY 30.0                  3.6 -2.7% (2)
    74 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 29.3                  1.5 -4.2% (19)
    75 Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metro Div 28.1                  3.7 -5.1% (37)
    76 Greensboro-High Point, NC 26.2                  4.9 -7.0% (34)
    77 Roanoke, VA 25.5                  1.7 -5.5% (15)
    78 Wichita, KS 25.3                  4.3 0.0% 12
    79 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 23.8                  1.8 -6.9% (32)
    80 Stockton, CA 23.5                  1.9 -6.6% 3
    81 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA 22.2                  3.1 -2.1% 10
    82 Evansville, IN-KY 21.3                  1.9 -3.4% (3)
    83 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 21.3                  7.0 -2.8% (17)
    84 Baltimore City, MD 20.9                  3.8 -4.2% (32)
    85 Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division 20.5                  4.4 -4.3% (10)
    86 Dayton, OH 19.7                  8.5 -3.8% 0
    87 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 17.4                  1.9 -5.0% (26)
    88 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 17.3                  2.0 -3.2% 1
    89 Reno-Sparks, NV 16.9                  1.9 -3.4% (8)
    90 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA 13.3                  3.8 -3.4% (16)
    91 Modesto, CA 12.1                  0.9 0.0% 0
    92 New Haven, CT NECTA 9.5                  4.1 -4.7% (4)

  • Large Cities Information Jobs – 2014 Best Cities Rankings

    View the Best Cities for Information Jobs 2014 List

    2014 MSA Info  Ranking – LARGE MSAs Area Weighted INDEX 2013 Information Employment 20012-13 Info Growth 2014  Change from 2013 – Large MSAs
    1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 96.4                60.8 9.2% 0
    2 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 90.7                23.6 2.6% 3
    3 San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metro Div 89.5                52.3 3.2% (1)
    4 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 84.9                33.7 4.1% 5
    5 New York City, NY 84.3             181.8 3.3% 8
    6 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 80.1                59.5 2.5% (2)
    7 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 79.9                20.9 3.6% 0
    8 Columbus, OH 79.5                18.2 2.8% 21
    9 Salt Lake City, UT 78.2                18.5 -2.8% 8
    10 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metro Div 78.0                88.0 1.7% 5
    11 Raleigh-Cary, NC 77.8                18.1 2.3% (3)
    12 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metro Div 77.7             201.5 2.3% 16
    13 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 77.5                16.1 1.5% 1
    14 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 77.3                23.1 1.3% 13
    15 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL Metro Div 76.7                18.8 2.4% (3)
    16 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 76.7                85.0 1.4% (10)
    17 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 75.2                22.2 1.4% (6)
    18 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 73.3                  8.1 -8.6% (15)
    19 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 72.6                20.3 1.2% (9)
    20 Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metro Div 71.1                19.7 1.2% (4)
    21 Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metro Div 69.4                66.6 3.0% 9
    22 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 68.8                23.9 2.0% 20
    23 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 68.2                32.7 2.8% 1
    24 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metro Div 67.8                  9.6 1.8% 16
    25 St. Louis, MO-IL 66.3                29.6 1.0% 0
    26 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 65.3                  9.7 -4.3% (4)
    27 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 64.7                  9.5 -0.3% (8)
    28 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 64.2                11.0 -2.4% 17
    29 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 62.5                38.7 -0.3% (8)
    30 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metro Div 62.2                25.6 3.2% 7
    31 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 61.7                43.4 0.2% 2
    32 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 61.2                14.0 -1.2% 3
    33 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metro Div 60.7                74.6 -0.2% (13)
    34 Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metro Div 57.0                18.1 0.0% (3)
    35 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 55.9                11.0 -0.3% (17)
    36 Honolulu, HI 55.8                  7.1 -3.2% 10
    37 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 55.5                26.0 0.1% 11
    38 Pittsburgh, PA 54.7                18.5 -0.5% (12)
    39 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metro Div 50.5                  7.4 3.2% 21
    40 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 48.9                  7.4 -1.8% (8)
    41 Philadelphia City, PA 48.7                11.5 -3.6% (18)
    42 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 48.4                15.1 -0.4% 5
    43 Jacksonville, FL 47.4                  9.1 -0.4% 9
    44 Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metro Div 46.5                23.6 -2.2% (5)
    45 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 44.9                  6.0 0.6% (1)
    46 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 44.1                14.5 -1.4% 5
    47 Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metro Div 43.4                24.2 -2.9% (13)
    48 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 43.0                11.2 -2.0% 16
    49 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Div 42.3                61.4 -1.7% 1
    50 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 41.7                  8.8 -0.8% 9
    51 Northern Virginia, VA 40.1                38.9 -1.7% (2)
    52 Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA 39.2                10.0 -4.1% 4
    53 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 38.9                24.0 -1.8% (17)
    54 Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, NJ 38.7                17.3 -2.4% 1
    55 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Div 38.6                13.2 -2.9% (1)
    56 Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metro Div 37.5                13.7 -4.8% (13)
    57 Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metro Div 36.6                18.5 -1.8% (19)
    58 Kansas City, MO 36.5                14.7 -1.6% 3
    59 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 36.4                11.2 -2.9% (2)
    60 Richmond, VA 35.0                  8.1 2.1% 5
    61 Putnam-Rockland-Westchester, NY 34.7                12.6 -2.1% (8)
    62 Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metro Div 33.4                21.4 -2.3% (4)
    63 Rochester, NY 30.9                  8.4 -6.7% (22)
    64 Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA 28.3                14.7 -4.5% (1)
    65 Camden, NJ Metro Div 24.8                  6.2 -9.7% 1
    66 Oklahoma City, OK 17.1                  8.1 -2.4% (4)

  • All Cities Information Jobs – 2014 Best Cities Rankings

    View the Best Cities for Information Jobs 2014 List

    2014 MSA Info Overall Ranking Area Weighted INDEX 2013 Information Employment 20012-13 Info Growth 2014  Change from 2013 –
    All MSAs
    1 Janesville, WI 97.9                  1.5 18.4% 121
    2 Flint, MI 97.3                  4.2 9.5% 1
    3 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 96.4                60.8 9.2% (1)
    4 Logan, UT-ID 93.3                  0.9 12.5% 12
    5 Provo-Orem, UT 93.0                  9.8 10.5% 6
    6 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 90.7                23.6 2.6% 12
    7 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 90.3                  3.2 5.4% 3
    8 San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metro Div 89.5                52.3 3.2% (3)
    9 Abilene, TX 88.2                  1.2 9.1% 74
    10 Laredo, TX 88.1                  0.7 16.7% 26
    11 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 87.3                  1.4 7.7% 34
    12 Rochester, MN 87.2                  1.7 6.2% 2
    13 Fond du Lac, WI 86.5                  0.9 12.5% 198
    14 Madison, WI 85.5                12.6 1.9% 5
    15 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 84.9                33.7 4.1% 15
    16 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 84.7                  4.3 -0.8% (8)
    17 College Station-Bryan, TX 84.5                  1.3 0.0% (13)
    18 New York City, NY 84.3             181.8 3.3% 22
    19 Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 84.0                  2.0 1.7% 9
    20 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 83.7                12.0 5.9% 43
    21 Baton Rouge, LA 83.2                  5.5 6.4% 8
    22 Huntsville, AL 82.8                  2.7 3.8% 11
    23 Lafayette, IN 80.5                  1.1 6.5% 42
    24 Tyler, TX 80.3                  2.3 2.9% (15)
    25 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 80.1                59.5 2.5% (8)
    26 Champaign-Urbana, IL 80.1                  2.5 10.4% 236
    27 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 79.9                20.9 3.6% (5)
    28 Columbus, OH 79.5                18.2 2.8% 70
    29 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 79.0                  3.7 2.8% 9
    30 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC 78.4                  5.2 2.0% 73
    31 Salt Lake City, UT 78.2                18.5 -2.8% 31
    32 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metro Div 78.0                88.0 1.7% 18
    33 Raleigh-Cary, NC 77.8                18.1 2.3% (10)
    34 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metro Div 77.7             201.5 2.3% 57
    35 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 77.7                  3.1 5.6% 221
    36 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 77.5                16.1 1.5% 5
    37 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 77.3                23.1 1.3% 52
    38 El Paso, TX 77.2                  5.8 -2.8% 55
    39 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL Metro Div 76.7                18.8 2.4% 0
    40 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 76.7                85.0 1.4% (19)
    41 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 75.6                  1.0 0.0% (21)
    42 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 75.2                22.2 1.4% (5)
    43 Cheyenne, WY 75.1                  1.1 0.0% (42)
    44 Boise City-Nampa, ID 74.6                  4.5 3.1% 98
    45 Binghamton, NY 74.6                  1.9 11.8% 75
    46 Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 73.9                  0.7 0.0% 2
    47 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 73.3                  8.1 -8.6% (40)
    48 Lincoln, NE 73.1                  2.5 -1.3% 184
    49 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 72.9                  1.6 2.1% 22
    50 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 72.6                20.3 1.2% (16)
    51 Greenville, NC 72.6                  1.0 11.1% 44
    52 Bend, OR 72.4                  1.4 0.0% 154
    53 Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 72.1                  1.4 7.7% 194
    54 Las Cruces, NM 71.9                  0.9 0.0% (12)
    55 Worcester, MA-CT NECTA 71.8                  3.6 0.0% 37
    56 Auburn-Opelika, AL 71.7                  0.5 0.0% 201
    57 Flagstaff, AZ 71.6                  0.4 0.0% 0
    58 Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metro Div 71.1                19.7 1.2% (7)
    59 Springfield, MA-CT NECTA 71.0                  3.9 6.3% 43
    60 Lewiston, ID-WA 70.8                  0.4 0.0% 0
    61 Cleveland, TN 70.1                  0.3 0.0% (6)
    62 Bay City, MI 70.1                  0.5 25.0% 135
    63 Eugene-Springfield, OR 69.7                  3.3 0.0% 54
    64 Tallahassee, FL 69.6                  3.4 2.0% 33
    65 Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metro Div 69.4                66.6 3.0% 46
    66 Spokane, WA 69.0                  2.9 -3.3% (14)
    67 Tacoma, WA Metro Div 69.0                  2.9 3.6% 167
    68 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 68.8                23.9 2.0% 78
    69 Knoxville, TN 68.7                  5.6 -0.6% 30
    70 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 68.7                  2.1 0.0% 233
    71 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 68.7                  2.1 -1.6% 74
    72 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 68.2                32.7 2.8% 9
    73 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 68.2                  0.8 14.3% 202
    74 Ann Arbor, MI 68.2                  4.1 2.5% 34
    75 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metro Div 67.8                  9.6 1.8% 63
    76 Clarksville, TN-KY 67.7                  1.1 -3.0% (52)
    77 Jackson, MS 67.7                  4.7 -3.4% (42)
    78 Columbus, IN 67.6                  0.5 0.0% (63)
    79 Wilmington, NC 66.8                  2.9 2.4% 117
    80 St. Louis, MO-IL 66.3                29.6 1.0% 5
    81 Fargo, ND-MN 66.2                  3.3 3.1% 111
    82 Prescott, AZ 65.9                  0.6 0.0% (6)
    83 Burlington, NC 65.7                  0.5 0.0% 108
    84 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 65.3                  9.7 -4.3% (7)
    85 Sherman-Denison, TX 65.2                  0.5 0.0% 130
    86 Bloomington, IN 65.0                  1.3 0.0% 1
    87 Rochester-Dover, NH-ME NECTA 64.8                  1.2 0.0% (61)
    88 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 64.8                  4.4 3.1% 89
    89 St. Cloud, MN 64.8                  1.7 0.0% (10)
    90 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 64.7                  9.5 -0.3% (20)
    91 Glens Falls, NY 64.5                  1.0 3.4% (9)
    92 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 64.2                11.0 -2.4% 61
    93 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 63.9                  6.2 2.2% 62
    94 Madera-Chowchilla, CA 63.7                  0.4 20.0% 43
    95 Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH  NECTA Division 63.7                  0.9 -3.7% 40
    96 Pueblo, CO 63.4                  0.7 5.0% 61
    97 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 63.1                  3.1 1.1% 29
    98 Gary, IN Metro Div 62.8                  2.1 3.3% 43
    99 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 62.5                38.7 -0.3% (24)
    100 Yuma, AZ 62.4                  0.5 -16.7% (87)
    101 Sioux Falls, SD 62.2                  2.7 1.3% 109
    102 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metro Div 62.2                25.6 3.2% 26
    103 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC 62.0                  6.7 -0.5% (42)
    104 Kokomo, IN 61.9                  0.4 0.0% (46)
    105 Naples-Marco Island, FL 61.7                  1.5 0.0% (11)
    106 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 61.7                43.4 0.2% 13
    107 Victoria, TX 61.6                  0.5 0.0% 166
    108 Akron, OH 61.5                  3.9 1.7% 57
    109 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 61.3                  2.6 2.6% (63)
    110 Decatur, AL 61.3                  0.3 0.0% 51
    111 Ithaca, NY 61.3                  0.5 0.0% 5
    112 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 61.2                14.0 -1.2% 11
    113 Altoona, PA 61.2                  0.9 4.0% 92
    114 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metro Div 60.7                74.6 -0.2% (42)
    115 St. George, UT 60.6                  0.7 0.0% (83)
    116 Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 60.4                  1.6 0.0% (49)
    117 Montgomery, AL 60.3                  2.2 0.0% (10)
    118 Columbia, SC 60.3                  5.4 -0.6% 100
    119 York-Hanover, PA 60.2                  1.8 1.9% (39)
    120 Gadsden, AL 60.1                  0.4 22.2% 187
    121 Winston-Salem, NC 59.4                  2.0 3.5% 121
    122 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 59.2                  2.4 0.0% (32)
    123 Manchester, NH NECTA 59.1                  3.1 -3.1% (55)
    124 Springfield, MO 58.9                  3.9 2.7% (15)
    125 Santa Fe, NM 58.8                  0.9 13.0% 181
    126 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 58.6                  2.2 1.5% 13
    127 Grand Junction, CO 58.6                  0.8 0.0% 109
    128 Longview, TX 58.6                  1.4 0.0% (16)
    129 Anchorage, AK 58.5                  4.5 1.5% 66
    130 Yuba City, CA 58.5                  0.4 0.0% 18
    131 Fort Smith, AR-OK 58.1                  1.3 -4.9% (119)
    132 Lawton, OK 58.1                  0.5 0.0% 120
    133 Redding, CA 58.0                  0.6 5.6% 41
    134 Terre Haute, IN 57.7                  0.7 0.0% (33)
    135 Mobile, AL 57.6                  2.0 1.7% 66
    136 Toledo, OH 57.3                  3.4 -1.0% (40)
    137 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 57.2                  1.8 0.0% 71
    138 La Crosse, WI-MN 57.2                  1.1 0.0% (50)
    139 Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metro Div 57.0                18.1 0.0% (25)
    140 Cedar Rapids, IA 56.9                  4.9 -0.7% (10)
    141 Fayetteville, NC 56.6                  1.5 0.0% 76
    142 Asheville, NC 56.6                  1.9 0.0% (99)
    143 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 56.4                  2.1 -3.1% (118)
    144 Boulder, CO 56.3                  8.4 0.0% (40)
    145 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR 56.3                  0.5 0.0% 24
    146 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 56.3                  5.1 -1.9% (17)
    147 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 55.9                11.0 -0.3% (78)
    148 Honolulu, HI 55.8                  7.1 -3.2% 6
    149 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 55.5                26.0 0.1% 9
    150 Grand Forks, ND-MN 55.3                  0.6 0.0% 88
    151 Pittsburgh, PA 54.7                18.5 -0.5% (65)
    152 Corpus Christi, TX 54.6                  2.1 -1.6% 35
    153 Fort Wayne, IN 54.6                  3.3 -3.0% (109)
    154 Kankakee-Bradley, IL 54.5                  0.5 0.0% 162
    155 Port St. Lucie, FL 54.3                  1.4 5.1% 106
    156 Holland-Grand Haven, MI 53.9                  0.7 0.0% (92)
    157 Wichita Falls, TX 53.7                  1.1 10.0% 83
    158 El Centro, CA 53.7                  0.4 0.0% (102)
    159 Trenton-Ewing, NJ 53.6                  5.4 -4.1% (153)
    160 Coeur d’Alene, ID 53.0                  0.7 16.7% 135
    161 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 52.1                  3.3 -1.0% 60
    162 Peabody, MA  NECTA Division 51.2                  1.1 -2.9% (26)
    163 Fresno, CA 50.7                  3.8 0.9% (89)
    164 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metro Div 50.5                  7.4 3.2% 56
    165 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 50.2                  2.5 -7.4% (99)
    166 Anderson, IN 49.8                  0.5 0.0% 87
    167 Kingston, NY 49.0                  1.0 -6.3% (140)
    168 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 48.9                  7.4 -1.8% (50)
    169 Philadelphia City, PA 48.7                11.5 -3.6% (91)
    170 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 48.4                15.1 -0.4% (14)
    171 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 47.4                  2.3 0.0% 56
    172 Jacksonville, FL 47.4                  9.1 -0.4% 3
    173 Casper, WY 46.9                  0.5 -6.7% (119)
    174 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 46.7                  2.5 0.0% 35
    175 Duluth, MN-WI 46.6                  1.5 4.5% 111
    176 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 46.6                  0.6 0.0% (27)
    177 Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metro Div 46.5                23.6 -2.2% (45)
    178 Muncie, IN 46.2                  0.3 0.0% 34
    179 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 45.9                  2.4 1.4% 11
    180 Dothan, AL 45.6                  0.7 0.0% (40)
    181 Racine, WI 45.3                  0.4 0.0% (48)
    182 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 44.9                  6.0 0.6% (31)
    183 Elmira, NY 44.6                  0.4 0.0% 50
    184 Pocatello, ID 44.4                  0.4 0.0% 106
    185 Tucson, AZ 44.2                  4.3 1.6% (17)
    186 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 44.1                14.5 -1.4% (15)
    187 Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA 44.0                  2.2 0.0% 90
    188 Framingham, MA  NECTA Division 44.0                  5.3 -3.6% (73)
    189 Kansas City, KS 43.4                15.2 3.2% (30)
    190 Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metro Div 43.4                24.2 -2.9% (69)
    191 Canton-Massillon, OH 43.4                  1.7 0.0% (44)
    192 Waco, TX 43.3                  1.3 0.0% 71
    193 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 43.0                11.2 -2.0% 66
    194 Dover, DE 43.0                  0.5 0.0% 123
    195 Lexington-Fayette, KY 42.8                  5.6 -5.1% (2)
    196 Gainesville, FL 42.7                  1.5 2.3% 68
    197 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 42.4                  8.3 -3.1% (30)
    198 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Div 42.3                61.4 -1.7% (28)
    199 Colorado Springs, CO 42.2                  6.9 -5.0% (86)
    200 Waterbury, CT NECTA 42.0                  0.6 0.0% 35
    201 Chattanooga, TN-GA 41.9                  2.8 -2.3% 83
    202 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 41.7                  8.8 -0.8% 1
    203 Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 41.6                  0.8 0.0% 55
    204 Amarillo, TX 41.4                  1.4 0.0% 3
    205 Bismarck, ND 41.3                  0.9 0.0% 23
    206 Charleston, WV 40.7                  1.9 1.8% 49
    207 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 40.7                  4.9 1.4% 34
    208 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 40.6                  1.8 -3.5% 11
    209 Napa, CA 40.6                  0.6 0.0% (20)
    210 Northern Virginia, VA 40.1                38.9 -1.7% (50)
    211 Palm Coast, FL 40.1                  0.9 0.0% 60
    212 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 40.0                  0.8 0.0% 53
    213 Eau Claire, WI 39.8                  0.9 0.0% 0
    214 Fairbanks, AK 39.7                  0.5 0.0% (38)
    215 Nashua, NH-MA  NECTA Division 39.4                  1.9 -5.0% (162)
    216 Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA 39.2                10.0 -4.1% (32)
    217 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 38.9                24.0 -1.8% (93)
    218 Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, NJ 38.7                17.3 -2.4% (38)
    219 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Div 38.6                13.2 -2.9% (40)
    220 New Bedford, MA NECTA 38.6                  0.6 0.0% 10
    221 Green Bay, WI 38.5                  1.9 -3.4% (49)
    222 Pittsfield, MA NECTA 38.5                  0.5 0.0% 28
    223 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 38.1                  1.1 -2.9% 6
    224 Lancaster, PA 37.7                  3.1 0.0% (2)
    225 Odessa, TX 37.7                  0.5 0.0% (120)
    226 Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metro Div 37.5                13.7 -4.8% (76)
    227 Hanford-Corcoran, CA 37.5                  0.2 0.0% (2)
    228 Calvert-Charles-Prince George’s, MD 37.4                  5.2 -5.5% (181)
    229 Lafayette, LA 37.2                  2.5 -5.1% 47
    230 Savannah, GA 37.1                  1.3 -4.8% (26)
    231 Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metro Div 36.6                18.5 -1.8% (100)
    232 Kansas City, MO 36.5                14.7 -1.6% (1)
    233 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 36.4                11.2 -2.9% (47)
    234 Peoria, IL 35.2                  2.2 -8.3% (128)
    235 Lubbock, TX 35.1                  3.9 -0.8% 53
    236 Richmond, VA 35.0                  8.1 2.1% 47
    237 Putnam-Rockland-Westchester, NY 34.7                12.6 -2.1% (59)
    238 Syracuse, NY 34.4                  4.5 -3.6% (55)
    239 Tulsa, OK 33.6                  7.7 -2.5% (45)
    240 Punta Gorda, FL 33.6                  0.4 0.0% 9
    241 Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metro Div 33.4                21.4 -2.3% (41)
    242 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 33.3                  7.1 -2.3% 24
    243 Albuquerque, NM 32.9                  7.4 -7.9% (212)
    244 Reading, PA 32.7                  1.3 -4.9% (160)
    245 Chico, CA 32.2                  1.0 -6.3% (196)
    246 Johnstown, PA 31.7                  0.7 -4.3% (80)
    247 Tuscaloosa, AL 31.5                  0.8 0.0% (66)
    248 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 31.2                  1.4 -2.3% (4)
    249 Rochester, NY 30.9                  8.4 -6.7% (106)
    250 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 30.8                  2.3 -2.8% 22
    251 Columbus, GA-AL 30.3                  1.5 0.0% (25)
    252 Merced, CA 30.1                  0.4 0.0% 60
    253 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY 30.0                  3.6 -2.7% (29)
    254 Salinas, CA 30.0                  1.5 -4.3% (9)
    255 Bangor, ME NECTA 29.9                  1.0 -9.1% (121)
    256 Idaho Falls, ID 29.6                  0.9 -6.9% 33
    257 Medford, OR 29.6                  1.4 -6.7% (147)
    258 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 29.3                  1.5 -4.2% (73)
    259 Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA 28.3                14.7 -4.5% (11)
    260 Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metro Div 28.1                  3.7 -5.1% (133)
    261 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 28.1                  1.1 3.0% 7
    262 Rapid City, SD 27.4                  0.8 -11.1% (137)
    263 Jackson, TN 27.3                  0.5 0.0% 31
    264 Owensboro, KY 26.9                  0.4 -14.3% 17
    265 Morristown, TN 26.8                  0.4 0.0% 5
    266 Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 26.6                  1.3 0.0% (43)
    267 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 26.5                  0.8 0.0% 0
    268 Greensboro-High Point, NC 26.2                  4.9 -7.0% (124)
    269 Roanoke, VA 25.5                  1.7 -5.5% (70)
    270 Wichita, KS 25.3                  4.3 0.0% 39
    271 Sheboygan, WI 25.2                  0.2 0.0% 20
    272 Camden, NJ Metro Div 24.8                  6.2 -9.7% 38
    273 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 23.8                  1.8 -6.9% (109)
    274 Stockton, CA 23.5                  1.9 -6.6% (5)
    275 Appleton, WI 23.2                  1.5 -6.3% (73)
    276 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA 22.2                  3.1 -2.1% 38
    277 Greeley, CO 22.0                  0.7 -4.8% 23
    278 Johnson City, TN 21.7                  1.4 2.5% 30
    279 Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 21.5                  0.5 0.0% 17
    280 Evansville, IN-KY 21.3                  1.9 -3.4% (34)
    281 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 21.3                  7.0 -2.8% (65)
    282 Baltimore City, MD 20.9                  3.8 -4.2% (109)
    283 Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metro Div 20.5                  4.4 -4.3% (44)
    284 Dayton, OH 19.7                  8.5 -3.8% (5)
    285 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 19.4                  0.4 0.0% 7
    286 Anniston-Oxford, AL 18.7                  0.6 0.0% 29
    287 Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL 18.6                  1.1 -3.0% 12
    288 Salem, OR 18.3                  1.0 -6.3% (100)
    289 Decatur, IL 18.2                  0.6 -10.0% (189)
    290 Ocala, FL 18.0                  0.9 0.0% (76)
    291 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 17.4                  1.9 -5.0% (93)
    292 Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA  NECTA Division 17.4                  0.6 -14.3% (129)
    293 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 17.3                  2.0 -3.2% 12
    294 Visalia-Porterville, CA 17.3                  0.8 -4.0% 10
    295 Oklahoma City, OK 17.1                  8.1 -2.4% (52)
    296 Reno-Sparks, NV 16.9                  1.9 -3.4% (36)
    297 Springfield, IL 15.7                  1.4 -2.3% (4)
    298 Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH  NECTA Division 15.5                  3.7 -4.3% (20)
    299 Topeka, KS 15.5                  1.4 -6.7% (226)
    300 Wausau, WI 15.1                  0.4 0.0% (2)
    301 Bloomington-Normal, IL 14.6                  0.7 -12.5% (149)
    302 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 14.4                  0.9 0.0% 0
    303 Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA 13.9                  0.6 -19.0% (141)
    304 Corvallis, OR 13.8                  0.6 -14.3% 7
    305 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA 13.3                  3.8 -3.4% (68)
    306 Danville, IL 12.9                  0.2 0.0% (9)
    307 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 12.5                  0.9 -6.7% (20)
    308 Modesto, CA 12.1                  0.9 0.0% 5
    309 Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA NECTA 11.9                  0.4 -7.7% (250)
    310 Erie, PA 10.5                  1.3 -7.1% (128)
    311 Midland, TX 10.3                  0.9 -15.6% (29)
    312 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 9.9                  0.6 -10.0% (38)
    313 San Angelo, TX 9.7                  0.9 -10.0% (59)
    314 New Haven, CT NECTA 9.5                  4.1 -4.7% (29)
    315 Rockford, IL 8.3                  1.3 -13.3% (64)
    316 Utica-Rome, NY 7.8                  1.5 -10.0% (36)
    317 Jackson, MI 4.7                  0.3 -10.0% (16)

  • Small Cities Information Jobs – 2014 Best Cities Rankings

    View the Best Cities for Information Jobs 2014 List

    2014 MSA Info Overall Ranking Area Weighted INDEX 2013 Information Employment 20012-13 Info Growth 2014 Ranking Change from 2013 – Small MSAs
    1 Janesville, WI 97.9                  1.5 18.4% 51
    2 Flint, MI 97.3                  4.2 9.5% 0
    3 Logan, UT-ID 93.3                  0.9 12.5% 6
    4 Abilene, TX 88.2                  1.2 9.1% 34
    5 Laredo, TX 88.1                  0.7 16.7% 11
    6 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 87.3                  1.4 7.7% 12
    7 Rochester, MN 87.2                  1.7 6.2% 0
    8 Fond du Lac, WI 86.5                  0.9 12.5% 79
    9 College Station-Bryan, TX 84.5                  1.3 0.0% (6)
    10 Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 84.0                  2.0 1.7% 4
    11 Lafayette, IN 80.5                  1.1 6.5% 19
    12 Tyler, TX 80.3                  2.3 2.9% (8)
    13 Champaign-Urbana, IL 80.1                  2.5 10.4% 104
    14 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 75.6                  1.0 0.0% (4)
    15 Cheyenne, WY 75.1                  1.1 0.0% (14)
    16 Binghamton, NY 74.6                  1.9 11.8% 35
    17 Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 73.9                  0.7 0.0% 2
    18 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 72.9                  1.6 2.1% 15
    19 Greenville, NC 72.6                  1.0 11.1% 24
    20 Bend, OR 72.4                  1.4 0.0% 63
    21 Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 72.1                  1.4 7.7% 85
    22 Las Cruces, NM 71.9                  0.9 0.0% (5)
    23 Auburn-Opelika, AL 71.7                  0.5 0.0% 91
    24 Flagstaff, AZ 71.6                  0.4 0.0% 4
    25 Lewiston, ID-WA 70.8                  0.4 0.0% 1
    26 Cleveland, TN 70.1                  0.3 0.0% (3)
    27 Bay City, MI 70.1                  0.5 25.0% 53
    28 Eugene-Springfield, OR 69.7                  3.3 0.0% 22
    29 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 68.7                  2.1 0.0% 121
    30 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 68.2                  0.8 14.3% 97
    31 Clarksville, TN-KY 67.7                  1.1 -3.0% (20)
    32 Columbus, IN 67.6                  0.5 0.0% (24)
    33 Wilmington, NC 66.8                  2.9 2.4% 46
    34 Fargo, ND-MN 66.2                  3.3 3.1% 44
    35 Prescott, AZ 65.9                  0.6 0.0% 0
    36 Burlington, NC 65.7                  0.5 0.0% 41
    37 Sherman-Denison, TX 65.2                  0.5 0.0% 54
    38 Bloomington, IN 65.0                  1.3 0.0% 1
    39 Rochester-Dover, NH-ME NECTA 64.8                  1.2 0.0% (27)
    40 St. Cloud, MN 64.8                  1.7 0.0% (4)
    41 Glens Falls, NY 64.5                  1.0 3.4% (4)
    42 Madera-Chowchilla, CA 63.7                  0.4 20.0% 17
    43 Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH NECTA Div 63.7                  0.9 -3.7% 14
    44 Pueblo, CO 63.4                  0.7 5.0% 21
    45 Yuma, AZ 62.4                  0.5 -16.7% (39)
    46 Sioux Falls, SD 62.2                  2.7 1.3% 40
    47 Kokomo, IN 61.9                  0.4 0.0% (22)
    48 Naples-Marco Island, FL 61.7                  1.5 0.0% (6)
    49 Victoria, TX 61.6                  0.5 0.0% 76
    50 Decatur, AL 61.3                  0.3 0.0% 16
    51 Ithaca, NY 61.3                  0.5 0.0% (2)
    52 Altoona, PA 61.2                  0.9 4.0% 30
    53 St. George, UT 60.6                  0.7 0.0% (38)
    54 Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 60.4                  1.6 0.0% (23)
    55 Gadsden, AL 60.1                  0.4 22.2% 98
    56 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 59.2                  2.4 0.0% (15)
    57 Manchester, NH NECTA 59.1                  3.1 -3.1% (25)
    58 Santa Fe, NM 58.8                  0.9 13.0% 94
    59 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 58.6                  2.2 1.5% 1
    60 Grand Junction, CO 58.6                  0.8 0.0% 42
    61 Longview, TX 58.6                  1.4 0.0% (13)
    62 Yuba City, CA 58.5                  0.4 0.0% 0
    63 Fort Smith, AR-OK 58.1                  1.3 -4.9% (58)
    64 Lawton, OK 58.1                  0.5 0.0% 46
    65 Redding, CA 58.0                  0.6 5.6% 6
    66 Terre Haute, IN 57.7                  0.7 0.0% (21)
    67 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 57.2                  1.8 0.0% 18
    68 La Crosse, WI-MN 57.2                  1.1 0.0% (28)
    69 Cedar Rapids, IA 56.9                  4.9 -0.7% (15)
    70 Fayetteville, NC 56.6                  1.5 0.0% 22
    71 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR 56.3                  0.5 0.0% (1)
    72 Grand Forks, ND-MN 55.3                  0.6 0.0% 31
    73 Kankakee-Bradley, IL 54.5                  0.5 0.0% 86
    74 Port St. Lucie, FL 54.3                  1.4 5.1% 42
    75 Holland-Grand Haven, MI 53.9                  0.7 0.0% (46)
    76 Wichita Falls, TX 53.7                  1.1 10.0% 28
    77 El Centro, CA 53.7                  0.4 0.0% (50)
    78 Coeur d’Alene, ID 53.0                  0.7 16.7% 64
    79 Peabody, MA  NECTA Division 51.2                  1.1 -2.9% (21)
    80 Anderson, IN 49.8                  0.5 0.0% 31
    81 Kingston, NY 49.0                  1.0 -6.3% (68)
    82 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 47.4                  2.3 0.0% 14
    83 Casper, WY 46.9                  0.5 -6.7% (61)
    84 Duluth, MN-WI 46.6                  1.5 4.5% 49
    85 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 46.6                  0.6 0.0% (22)
    86 Muncie, IN 46.2                  0.3 0.0% 2
    87 Dothan, AL 45.6                  0.7 0.0% (26)
    88 Racine, WI 45.3                  0.4 0.0% (33)
    89 Elmira, NY 44.6                  0.4 0.0% 11
    90 Pocatello, ID 44.4                  0.4 0.0% 47
    91 Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA 44.0                  2.2 0.0% 37
    92 Waco, TX 43.3                  1.3 0.0% 26
    93 Dover, DE 43.0                  0.5 0.0% 67
    94 Gainesville, FL 42.7                  1.5 2.3% 25
    95 Waterbury, CT NECTA 42.0                  0.6 0.0% 6
    96 Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 41.6                  0.8 0.0% 19
    97 Amarillo, TX 41.4                  1.4 0.0% (13)
    98 Bismarck, ND 41.3                  0.9 0.0% (1)
    99 Charleston, WV 40.7                  1.9 1.8% 14
    100 Napa, CA 40.6                  0.6 0.0% (24)
    101 Palm Coast, FL 40.1                  0.9 0.0% 23
    102 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 40.0                  0.8 0.0% 18
    103 Eau Claire, WI 39.8                  0.9 0.0% (14)
    104 Fairbanks, AK 39.7                  0.5 0.0% (32)
    105 Nashua, NH-MA  NECTA Division 39.4                  1.9 -5.0% (84)
    106 New Bedford, MA NECTA 38.6                  0.6 0.0% (7)
    107 Pittsfield, MA NECTA 38.5                  0.5 0.0% 1
    108 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 38.1                  1.1 -2.9% (10)
    109 Odessa, TX 37.7                  0.5 0.0% (63)
    110 Hanford-Corcoran, CA 37.5                  0.2 0.0% (16)
    111 Lubbock, TX 35.1                  3.9 -0.8% 24
    112 Punta Gorda, FL 33.6                  0.4 0.0% (5)
    113 Chico, CA 32.2                  1.0 -6.3% (93)
    114 Johnstown, PA 31.7                  0.7 -4.3% (45)
    115 Tuscaloosa, AL 31.5                  0.8 0.0% (42)
    116 Columbus, GA-AL 30.3                  1.5 0.0% (21)
    117 Merced, CA 30.1                  0.4 0.0% 39
    118 Salinas, CA 30.0                  1.5 -4.3% (13)
    119 Bangor, ME NECTA 29.9                  1.0 -9.1% (63)
    120 Idaho Falls, ID 29.6                  0.9 -6.9% 16
    121 Medford, OR 29.6                  1.4 -6.7% (74)
    122 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 28.1                  1.1 3.0% 0
    123 Rapid City, SD 27.4                  0.8 -11.1% (70)
    124 Jackson, TN 27.3                  0.5 0.0% 17
    125 Owensboro, KY 26.9                  0.4 -14.3% 6
    126 Morristown, TN 26.8                  0.4 0.0% (3)
    127 Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 26.6                  1.3 0.0% (34)
    128 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 26.5                  0.8 0.0% (7)
    129 Sheboygan, WI 25.2                  0.2 0.0% 9
    130 Appleton, WI 23.2                  1.5 -6.3% (49)
    131 Greeley, CO 22.0                  0.7 -4.8% 16
    132 Johnson City, TN 21.7                  1.4 2.5% 22
    133 Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 21.5                  0.5 0.0% 10
    134 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 19.4                  0.4 0.0% 5
    135 Anniston-Oxford, AL 18.7                  0.6 0.0% 23
    136 Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL 18.6                  1.1 -3.0% 10
    137 Salem, OR 18.3                  1.0 -6.3% (62)
    138 Decatur, IL 18.2                  0.6 -10.0% (94)
    139 Ocala, FL 18.0                  0.9 0.0% (49)
    140 Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA  NECTA Division 17.4                  0.6 -14.3% (72)
    141 Visalia-Porterville, CA 17.3                  0.8 -4.0% 10
    142 Springfield, IL 15.7                  1.4 -2.3% (2)
    143 Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH  NECTA Division 15.5                  3.7 -4.3% (14)
    144 Topeka, KS 15.5                  1.4 -6.7% (110)
    145 Wausau, WI 15.1                  0.4 0.0% 0
    146 Bloomington-Normal, IL 14.6                  0.7 -12.5% (82)
    147 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 14.4                  0.9 0.0% 2
    148 Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA 13.9                  0.6 -19.0% (81)
    149 Corvallis, OR 13.8                  0.6 -14.3% 6
    150 Danville, IL 12.9                  0.2 0.0% (6)
    151 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 12.5                  0.9 -6.7% (17)
    152 Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA NECTA 11.9                  0.4 -7.7% (128)
    153 Erie, PA 10.5                  1.3 -7.1% (79)
    154 Midland, TX 10.3                  0.9 -15.6% (22)
    155 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 9.9                  0.6 -10.0% (29)
    156 San Angelo, TX 9.7                  0.9 -10.0% (44)
    158 Rockford, IL 8.3                  1.3 -13.3% (49)
    159 Utica-Rome, NY 7.8                  1.5 -10.0% (29)
    160 Jackson, MI 4.7                  0.3 -10.0% (12)

  • Best Cities for Jobs 2014

    Best cities main page 2014

  • All Cities Rankings – 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    Read about how we selected the 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    This year’s rankings use five measures of growth to rank all 398 metro areas for which full data sets were available from the past 10 years.  "Large" areas include those with a current nonfarm employment base of at least 450,000 jobs. "Midsize" areas range from 150,000 to 450,000 jobs. "Small" areas have as many as 150,000 jobs.  This year’s rankings reflect the current size of each MSAs employment.   Only one MSA—Modesto, CA—changed size categories moving from “Small” to “Midsized.” In the instances where the analysis refers to changes in ranking order within the size categories, this MSAs changes are reported as if they had been included in their current category in the prior year.

    2014 Overall Ranking Area 2014 Weighted INDEX  2013 Nonfarm Emplmt (1000s)  Overall Mvmnt 2013 Overall Rank 
    1 Bismarck, ND 96.1 69.8 53 54
    2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 94.2 982.2 26 28
    3 San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 94.1 1,087.8 6 9
    4 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 94.1 119.2 111 115
    5 Columbia, MO 92.3 101.8 64 69
    6 Boulder, CO 88.7 175.6 1 7
    7 Provo-Orem, UT 87.9 209.3 4 11
    8 St. George, UT 87.9 52.2 137 145
    9 Greeley, CO 87.7 92.0 29 38
    10 Midland, TX 87.3 87.5 -9 1
    11 Auburn-Opelika, AL 87.1 58.8 3 14
    12 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 87.0 881.1 30 42
    13 Raleigh-Cary, NC 86.2 552.5 32 45
    14 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 85.9 410.2 33 47
    15 Naples-Marco Island, FL 84.9 129.2 152 167
    16 College Station-Bryan, TX 84.8 104.3 183 199
    17 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 84.7 2,825.8 6 23
    18 El Centro, CA 84.7 52.9 64 82
    19 San Angelo, TX 84.4 48.0 -14 5
    20 Anderson, SC 84.1 66.3 314 334
    21 Spartanburg, SC 83.8 131.0 60 81
    22 Jonesboro, AR 82.7 53.0 -14 8
    23 Odessa, TX 82.4 74.0 -21 2
    24 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 82.3 822.8 -9 15
    25 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 82.0 222.9 155 180
    26 Lubbock, TX 81.9 135.1 32 58
    27 Lafayette, LA 81.9 161.8 8 35
    28 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 81.6 145.4 22 50
    29 Napa, CA 81.3 67.2 -11 18
    30 New York City, NY 81.2 4,018.3 58 88
    31 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 81.0 1,085.2 109 140
    32 Fargo, ND-MN 80.8 133.9 8 40
    33 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 80.3 101.0 22 55
    34 Victoria, TX 79.8 54.7 -1 33
    35 Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 79.7 2,199.4 -11 24
    36 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 79.7 1,305.4 5 41
    37 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 79.6 931.3 -17 20
    38 Columbus, IN 79.5 49.8 -35 3
    39 Iowa City, IA 79.1 98.1 70 109
    40 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 79.0 913.1 16 56
    41 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 79.0 253.7 -19 22
    42 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 78.7 340.1 44 86
    43 Salt Lake City, UT 78.7 670.4 -27 16
    44 Laredo, TX 78.4 97.0 -12 32
    45 Boise City-Nampa, ID 78.2 276.5 39 84
    46 Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH  NECTA Division 77.3 81.6 -10 36
    47 Cleveland, TN 77.3 44.7 -43 4
    48 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 77.3 888.0 -14 34
    49 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 76.3 237.9 11 60
    50 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 76.3 1,522.7 15 65
    51 Ames, IA 76.2 50.8 122 173
    52 Bowling Green, KY 76.1 64.5 48 100
    53 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 75.8 216.9 -41 12
    54 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 75.4 135.3 23 77
    55 Oklahoma City, OK 75.2 616.8 12 67
    56 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 75.0 1,254.7 159 215
    57 Palm Coast, FL 75.0 20.4 61 118
    58 Holland-Grand Haven, MI 74.8 115.4 -19 39
    59 Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metropolitan Division 74.6 1,081.8 112 171
    60 Coeur d’Alene, ID 74.5 55.5 242 302
    61 Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 74.3 114.2 90 151
    62 Sioux Falls, SD 73.5 143.7 -18 44
    63 Savannah, GA 73.4 161.7 48 111
    64 Baton Rouge, LA 72.9 389.9 -16 48
    65 Logan, UT-ID 72.5 56.6 91 156
    66 Winchester, VA-WV 72.4 59.2 -45 21
    67 Wilmington, NC 71.9 142.6 81 148
    68 Cheyenne, WY 71.8 46.2 -43 25
    69 Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 71.6 56.5 -39 30
    70 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 71.4 1,049.3 113 183
    71 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 71.4 132.7 49 120
    72 Bend, OR 71.3 64.6 232 304
    73 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC 71.2 316.4 90 163
    74 Columbus, OH 71.0 984.0 -12 62
    75 Jacksonville, FL 70.9 620.0 68 143
    76 Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA  NECTA Division 70.9 93.2 29 105
    77 Fresno, CA 70.7 310.7 174 251
    78 Springfield, MO 70.7 202.5 -7 71
    79 Corpus Christi, TX 70.3 188.7 -60 19
    80 Gainesville, GA 70.1 77.3 81 161
    81 Merced, CA 70.0 61.2 -15 66
    82 Ocean City, NJ 69.8 36.7 75 157
    83 Chico, CA 69.7 75.5 182 265
    84 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 69.7 1,849.2 95 179
    85 Punta Gorda, FL 69.6 44.1 208 293
    86 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC 69.5 310.0 -35 51
    87 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 69.4 106.4 -74 13
    88 Morgantown, WV 69.3 68.4 9 97
    89 Greenville, NC 69.1 82.2 -62 27
    90 Kokomo, IN 68.9 44.2 11 101
    91 New Bedford, MA NECTA 68.7 70.1 -45 46
    92 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 68.6 288.7 -12 80
    93 Pascagoula, MS 68.6 57.9 237 330
    94 Asheville, NC 68.5 176.7 -9 85
    95 Olympia, WA 68.3 104.3 153 248
    96 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 68.2 260.4 88 184
    97 Visalia-Porterville, CA 68.0 114.6 7 104
    98 Mankato-North Mankato, MN 67.9 55.3 32 130
    99 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 67.6 1,782.5 -25 74
    100 St. Cloud, MN 67.4 104.2 -2 98
    101 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 67.3 2,435.7 6 107
    102 Bellingham, WA 67.2 85.3 182 284
    103 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metropolitan Division 67.2 551.7 79 182
    104 Lincoln, NE 66.5 183.5 -8 96
    105 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 66.1 550.8 7 112
    106 Tyler, TX 65.8 97.3 75 181
    107 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 65.7 205.9 -28 79
    108 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL Metropolitan Division 65.6 762.9 79 187
    109 Port St. Lucie, FL 65.4 129.3 117 226
    110 Missoula, MT 64.6 57.9 25 135
    111 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 64.5 40.1 -17 94
    112 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 64.4 46.4 173 285
    113 Idaho Falls, ID 64.3 50.9 76 189
    114 Trenton-Ewing, NJ 64.3 249.8 -25 89
    115 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA 64.0 102.3 180 295
    116 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 64.0 73.7 -87 29
    117 Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 63.8 96.1 -100 17
    118 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 63.7 1,192.3 7 125
    119 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 63.6 938.9 -51 68
    120 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 63.6 93.5 30 150
    121 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 63.4 185.5 192 313
    122 Modesto, CA 63.3 157.6 111 233
    123 Monroe, MI 62.8 41.1 253 376
    124 Casper, WY 62.7 42.1 -71 53
    125 Honolulu, HI 62.7 462.1 -12 113
    126 Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 62.2 1,045.3 144 270
    127 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 62.0 1,325.0 -4 123
    128 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 61.6 862.0 122 250
    129 Ithaca, NY 61.5 69.4 -8 121
    130 Pueblo, CO 61.4 59.8 65 195
    131 La Crosse, WI-MN 61.4 77.4 3 134
    132 Longview, TX 61.1 101.2 -83 49
    133 Sherman-Denison, TX 61.1 44.6 9 142
    134 Battle Creek, MI 61.0 58.4 -2 132
    135 Flagstaff, AZ 60.8 63.0 6 141
    136 Springfield, OH 60.8 52.8 204 340
    137 Dover, DE 60.6 66.9 215 352
    138 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 60.6 126.9 37 175
    139 Clarksville, TN-KY 59.9 88.5 -76 63
    140 Grand Forks, ND-MN 59.8 57.2 -79 61
    141 Jacksonville, NC 59.8 48.9 -35 106
    142 Billings, MT 59.7 81.8 -111 31
    143 Madison, WI 59.5 360.2 88 231
    144 Lake Charles, LA 59.3 94.1 -69 75
    145 Lafayette, IN 59.1 99.8 -119 26
    146 El Paso, TX 58.9 289.2 -43 103
    147 Lebanon, PA 58.8 51.4 -23 124
    148 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 58.7 1,473.5 28 176
    149 Northern Virginia, VA 58.7 1,372.9 -58 91
    150 Great Falls, MT 58.5 36.3 97 247
    151 Dubuque, IA 58.3 59.2 -78 73
    152 Framingham, MA  NECTA Division 58.0 162.3 -6 146
    153 Ann Arbor, MI 57.8 209.6 -81 72
    154 Madera-Chowchilla, CA 57.7 35.2 88 242
    155 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 57.2 629.4 -63 92
    156 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 57.0 76.4 3 159
    157 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 56.9 4,171.3 84 241
    158 Stockton, CA 56.7 203.2 86 244
    159 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 56.6 2,516.1 -42 117
    160 Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division 55.9 397.7 115 275
    161 Athens-Clarke County, GA 55.6 90.7 37 198
    162 Charlottesville, VA 55.2 104.0 134 296
    163 Janesville, WI 55.2 64.8 153 316
    164 Tulsa, OK 55.0 436.2 -12 152
    165 Owensboro, KY 54.8 52.8 -159 6
    166 Reno-Sparks, NV 54.7 201.1 128 294
    167 St. Joseph, MO-KS 54.7 63.0 -80 87
    168 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 54.7 1,808.0 -73 95
    169 Kansas City, KS 54.6 449.6 -112 57
    170 Eau Claire, WI 54.6 83.3 -44 126
    171 Tuscaloosa, AL 54.5 97.7 -33 138
    172 Sumter, SC 54.3 38.3 37 209
    173 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 54.3 478.8 -18 155
    174 Fond du Lac, WI 54.1 47.0 179 353
    175 Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 54.0 1,145.8 60 235
    176 Redding, CA 54.0 61.0 201 377
    177 Richmond, VA 53.9 637.6 -63 114
    178 Salem, OR 53.6 146.3 149 327
    179 Joplin, MO 53.6 82.3 14 193
    180 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 53.3 172.7 -104 76
    181 Columbia, SC 52.9 364.5 -7 174
    182 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 52.7 79.5 -74 108
    183 Prescott, AZ 52.5 57.5 103 286
    184 Colorado Springs, CO 52.1 257.3 -16 168
    185 Elizabethtown, KY 52.1 49.7 -15 170
    186 Anchorage, AK 51.8 176.1 -58 128
    187 Abilene, TX 51.5 67.5 -88 99
    188 Williamsport, PA 50.9 56.3 -178 10
    189 Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL 50.9 72.1 140 329
    190 Rochester, MN 50.6 107.6 -107 83
    191 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 50.5 104.2 -139 52
    192 Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA 50.5 872.5 79 271
    193 Las Cruces, NM 50.0 70.6 71 264
    194 Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 49.9 1,281.6 -63 131
    195 Yuba City, CA 49.4 39.1 92 287
    196 Florence, SC 49.3 85.5 121 317
    197 Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA 49.3 118.2 -138 59
    198 Fort Wayne, IN 49.1 212.9 -44 154
    199 Jackson, TN 49.0 61.7 -129 70
    200 Duluth, MN-WI 48.6 132.8 38 238
    201 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 48.5 224.4 154 355
    202 Yakima, WA 48.4 80.1 0 202
    203 Huntsville, AL 48.1 213.3 75 278
    204 Wheeling, WV-OH 47.5 68.4 99 303
    205 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 47.3 94.4 -28 177
    206 Harrisonburg, VA 47.2 65.0 -116 90
    207 New Haven, CT NECTA 46.7 277.6 50 257
    208 Danbury, CT NECTA 46.4 69.9 -11 197
    209 Grand Junction, CO 46.3 60.8 4 213
    210 Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division 46.2 345.1 79 289
    211 Lexington-Fayette, KY 46.2 258.2 -168 43
    212 Lawrence, KS 46.1 52.1 -50 162
    213 Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division 46.1 278.7 17 230
    214 Amarillo, TX 46.0 114.1 -54 160
    215 Medford, OR 45.7 78.3 105 320
    216 State College, PA 45.5 76.2 -12 204
    217 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 45.3 159.2 17 234
    218 Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metropolitan Division 45.3 1,016.4 -74 144
    219 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 44.8 1,027.0 55 274
    220 Knoxville, TN 44.7 335.8 -73 147
    221 Peabody, MA  NECTA Division 44.6 103.7 -119 102
    222 Eugene-Springfield, OR 44.6 146.2 111 333
    223 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 44.2 329.6 -38 185
    224 Longview, WA 44.1 37.4 39 263
    225 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 43.9 3,787.2 33 258
    226 Hattiesburg, MS 43.8 60.4 -26 200
    227 Rapid City, SD 43.8 61.4 -17 210
    228 Corvallis, OR 43.6 39.3 -75 153
    229 Manchester, NH NECTA 43.1 101.3 -23 206
    230 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 43.1 160.9 -8 222
    231 Green Bay, WI 42.9 170.0 -94 137
    232 Fairbanks, AK 42.8 38.0 -74 158
    233 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 42.8 289.3 -5 228
    234 Canton-Massillon, OH 42.6 170.3 -124 110
    235 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 42.2 198.9 66 301
    236 Spokane, WA 42.0 215.0 -35 201
    237 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 41.7 92.1 -144 93
    238 Waco, TX 41.6 107.0 -160 78
    239 Salinas, CA 41.6 126.7 71 310
    240 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 41.5 55.8 21 261
    241 Winston-Salem, NC 41.3 209.3 -29 212
    242 Kankakee-Bradley, IL 41.0 44.2 -64 178
    243 Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA 41.0 19.9 36 279
    244 Akron, OH 41.0 330.3 -48 196
    245 Monroe, LA 40.9 78.6 -8 237
    246 Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH  NECTA Division 40.8 120.4 -74 172
    247 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 40.6 107.2 138 385
    248 Lawton, OK 40.6 44.3 8 256
    249 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY 40.5 254.8 -55 194
    250 Gainesville, FL 40.5 131.5 -86 164
    251 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 40.5 413.2 97 348
    252 Columbus, GA-AL 40.5 121.8 -9 243
    253 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 40.2 61.8 -137 116
    254 Gadsden, AL 40.2 36.9 83 337
    255 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 40.0 345.7 -116 139
    256 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 40.0 553.1 -27 229
    257 Lewiston, ID-WA 40.0 26.5 81 338
    258 Appleton, WI 39.7 118.4 -33 225
    259 Bloomington, IN 39.1 83.1 39 298
    260 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 39.0 345.1 -49 211
    261 Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 38.8 572.5 -95 166
    262 Waterbury, CT NECTA 38.8 65.1 118 380
    263 Calvert-Charles-Prince George’s, MD 38.6 386.4 45 308
    264 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 38.0 511.9 36 300
    265 Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA 38.0 49.1 47 312
    266 Philadelphia City, PA 38.0 671.2 -42 224
    267 Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 37.5 87.7 56 323
    268 Bangor, ME NECTA 37.4 66.5 -50 218
    269 Sandusky, OH 37.3 34.9 120 389
    270 Hanford-Corcoran, CA 37.1 36.5 -2 268
    271 Morristown, TN 37.1 46.6 98 369
    272 Warner Robins, GA 37.1 58.7 -52 220
    273 Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 36.8 46.5 62 335
    274 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA 36.8 193.5 8 282
    275 Worcester, MA-CT NECTA 36.7 248.9 -39 236
    276 Pocatello, ID 36.6 36.8 48 324
    277 Fayetteville, NC 36.1 132.5 -86 191
    278 Sheboygan, WI 35.6 58.7 89 367
    279 Toledo, OH 35.6 308.9 28 307
    280 Cedar Rapids, IA 35.5 140.4 -94 186
    281 Lancaster, PA 35.4 231.8 -58 223
    282 Pittsburgh, PA 35.4 1,154.7 -149 133
    283 Manhattan, KS 35.2 56.5 -219 64
    284 Valdosta, GA 35.0 54.1 -45 239
    285 Goldsboro, NC 34.7 43.6 60 345
    286 Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, NJ 34.7 891.3 -19 267
    287 Reading, PA 34.6 170.7 -165 122
    288 Chattanooga, TN-GA 34.6 238.9 -67 221
    289 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 34.3 828.8 8 297
    290 Nashua, NH-MA  NECTA Division 34.3 129.3 0 290
    291 Topeka, KS 34.1 110.7 -99 192
    292 Montgomery, AL 34.0 169.0 14 306
    293 Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL 34.0 44.7 -38 255
    294 Hot Springs, AR 33.9 37.3 -75 219
    295 Ocala, FL 33.5 93.1 -26 269
    296 Evansville, IN-KY 33.1 177.2 -36 260
    297 Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA 33.0 557.1 18 315
    298 Tallahassee, FL 33.0 170.4 34 332
    299 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 32.9 550.6 -85 214
    300 Tucson, AZ 32.7 366.4 -55 245
    301 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 32.6 217.4 -69 232
    302 Wichita, KS 32.6 290.7 59 361
    303 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 32.6 446.4 -138 165
    304 Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 32.5 60.0 67 371
    305 Greensboro-High Point, NC 32.4 348.7 37 342
    306 Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 32.4 273.8 -34 272
    307 Rochester, NY 32.0 515.7 -104 203
    308 Roanoke, VA 31.9 159.1 -91 217
    309 Jackson, MS 31.8 259.4 -101 208
    310 Cumberland, MD-WV 31.6 39.6 -103 207
    311 Springfield, MA-CT NECTA 31.6 293.3 57 368
    312 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 30.7 748.2 -143 169
    313 Bay City, MI 30.6 37.2 -194 119
    314 Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 30.6 84.3 40 354
    315 Yuma, AZ 30.4 52.5 -35 280
    316 Macon, GA 29.7 99.1 -180 136
    317 Baltimore City, MD 29.6 359.3 -168 149
    318 Santa Fe, NM 29.5 61.5 21 339
    319 Kingston, NY 29.4 60.1 63 382
    320 Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA NECTA 28.8 49.0 27 347
    321 St. Louis, MO-IL 28.5 1,315.5 7 328
    322 Farmington, NM 27.8 49.6 14 336
    323 Muncie, IN 27.8 51.9 -286 37
    324 Lima, OH 27.3 52.7 64 388
    325 Erie, PA 27.3 129.7 -52 273
    326 Rochester-Dover, NH-ME NECTA 27.3 56.4 -74 252
    327 Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 27.2 989.0 36 363
    328 Kansas City, MO 27.1 555.2 -14 314
    329 Rome, GA 26.9 39.3 -3 326
    330 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 26.8 119.9 -49 281
    331 Springfield, IL 26.8 110.8 -91 240
    332 York-Hanover, PA 26.6 177.0 -116 216
    333 Anderson, IN 26.3 40.4 -204 129
    334 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 26.3 1,023.8 -13 321
    335 Putnam-Rockland-Westchester, NY 25.8 563.2 -47 288
    336 Wausau, WI 25.7 68.2 38 374
    337 Altoona, PA 25.5 60.7 -91 246
    338 Salisbury, MD 25.4 52.7 -61 277
    339 Burlington, NC 25.3 59.1 11 350
    340 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 25.1 608.8 -78 262
    341 Jackson, MI 24.3 54.5 31 372
    342 Pittsfield, MA NECTA 23.8 35.8 -31 311
    343 Syracuse, NY 23.7 315.7 -38 305
    344 Champaign-Urbana, IL 23.7 107.9 14 358
    345 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 23.5 225.1 12 357
    346 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 23.3 146.1 41 387
    347 Alexandria, LA 22.8 62.8 -1 346
    348 Flint, MI 22.5 136.7 35 383
    349 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 22.5 45.3 26 375
    350 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 22.5 135.2 28 378
    351 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 22.4 181.3 -124 227
    352 Decatur, AL 22.3 54.3 27 379
    353 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 22.1 171.5 -31 322
    354 Fort Smith, AR-OK 21.9 116.6 -11 343
    355 Peoria, IL 21.8 177.6 -167 188
    356 Racine, WI 21.8 75.2 9 365
    357 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 21.6 114.8 -32 325
    358 Terre Haute, IN 21.3 70.9 -39 319
    359 Albany, GA 21.0 61.6 -28 331
    360 Rockford, IL 20.9 146.9 -61 299
    361 Jefferson City, MO 20.8 76.5 -17 344
    362 Glens Falls, NY 20.0 52.2 -172 190
    363 Johnson City, TN 19.9 78.3 -80 283
    364 Mobile, AL 19.8 172.7 -23 341
    365 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA 19.4 253.2 -116 249
    366 Albuquerque, NM 18.6 368.1 -17 349
    367 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Division 18.5 717.1 -113 254
    368 Lynchburg, VA 18.4 102.3 -77 291
    369 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 17.9 194.7 -51 318
    370 Utica-Rome, NY 17.7 127.9 11 381
    371 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 17.7 156.9 -112 259
    372 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR 17.7 55.2 -119 253
    373 Dothan, AL 17.4 56.9 -13 360
    374 Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH 17.2 69.8 -1 373
    375 Danville, VA 17.1 39.9 -248 127
    376 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 16.6 137.2 10 386
    377 Brunswick, GA 16.5 40.1 -85 292
    378 Dayton, OH 16.4 374.2 -22 356
    379 Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division 16.3 504.8 -113 266
    380 Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 15.4 44.1 15 395
    381 Johnstown, PA 15.1 58.5 -105 276
    382 Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 14.3 57.7 -20 362
    383 Mansfield, OH 13.4 52.2 10 393
    384 Bloomington-Normal, IL 12.3 88.9 -179 205
    385 Elmira, NY 12.0 38.9 -19 366
    386 Wichita Falls, TX 10.3 57.7 -2 384
    387 Charleston, WV 9.3 144.3 -78 309
    388 Anniston-Oxford, AL 7.0 45.5 -29 359
    389 Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 6.4 126.0 1 390
    390 Decatur, IL 5.6 51.3 4 394
    391 Dalton, GA 5.4 63.5 7 398
    392 Rocky Mount, NC 5.3 55.3 5 397
    393 Carson City, NV 4.8 27.3 -1 392
    394 Binghamton, NY 4.3 106.1 -3 391
    395 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 3.9 132.5 1 396
    396 Danville, IL 3.9 28.7 -45 351
    397 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 3.8 41.8 -27 370
    398 Pine Bluff, AR 3.1 35.4 -34 364

  • Large Cities Rankings – 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    Read about how we selected the 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    This year’s rankings use five measures of growth to rank all 398 metro areas for which full data sets were available from the past 10 years.  "Large" areas include those with a current nonfarm employment base of at least 450,000 jobs. "Midsize" areas range from 150,000 to 450,000 jobs. "Small" areas have as many as 150,000 jobs.  This year’s rankings reflect the current size of each MSAs employment.   Only one MSA—Modesto, CA—changed size categories moving from “Small” to “Midsized.” In the instances where the analysis refers to changes in ranking order within the size categories, this MSAs changes are reported as if they had been included in their current category in the prior year.

    2014  Rank Among Large Cities Area 2014 Weighted INDEX  2013 Nonfarm Emplmt (1000s)  Size Mvmnt 2013 Size Ranking
    1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 94.2 982.2 6 7
    2 San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 94.1 1,087.8 -1 1
    3 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 87.0 881.1 7 10
    4 Raleigh-Cary, NC 86.2 552.5 7 11
    5 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 84.7 2,825.8 0 5
    6 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 82.3 822.8 -4 2
    7 New York City, NY 81.2 4,018.3 11 18
    8 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 81.0 1,085.2 23 31
    9 Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 79.7 2,199.4 -3 6
    10 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 79.7 1,305.4 -1 9
    11 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 79.6 931.3 -7 4
    12 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 79.0 913.1 0 12
    13 Salt Lake City, UT 78.7 670.4 -10 3
    14 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 77.3 888.0 -6 8
    15 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 76.3 1,522.7 -1 14
    16 Oklahoma City, OK 75.2 616.8 -1 15
    17 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 75.0 1,254.7 28 45
    18 Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metropolitan Division 74.6 1,081.8 19 37
    19 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 71.4 1,049.3 22 41
    20 Columbus, OH 71.0 984.0 -7 13
    21 Jacksonville, FL 70.9 620.0 11 32
    22 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 69.7 1,849.2 17 39
    23 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 67.6 1,782.5 -6 17
    24 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 67.3 2,435.7 -2 22
    25 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metropolitan Division 67.2 551.7 15 40
    26 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 66.1 550.8 -3 23
    27 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL Metropolitan Division 65.6 762.9 15 42
    28 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 63.7 1,192.3 0 28
    29 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 63.6 938.9 -13 16
    30 Honolulu, HI 62.7 462.1 -6 24
    31 Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 62.2 1,045.3 25 56
    32 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 62.0 1,325.0 -5 27
    33 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 61.6 862.0 17 50
    34 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 58.7 1,473.5 4 38
    35 Northern Virginia, VA 58.7 1,372.9 -16 19
    36 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 57.2 629.4 -16 20
    37 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 56.9 4,171.3 12 49
    38 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 56.6 2,516.1 -12 26
    39 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 54.7 1,808.0 -18 21
    40 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 54.3 478.8 -6 34
    41 Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 54.0 1,145.8 7 48
    42 Richmond, VA 53.9 637.6 -17 25
    43 Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA 50.5 872.5 14 57
    44 Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 49.9 1,281.6 -15 29
    45 Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metropolitan Division 45.3 1,016.4 -12 33
    46 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 44.8 1,027.0 12 58
    47 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 43.9 3,787.2 5 52
    48 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 40.0 553.1 -1 47
    49 Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 38.8 572.5 -14 35
    50 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 38.0 511.9 11 61
    51 Philadelphia City, PA 38.0 671.2 -5 46
    52 Pittsburgh, PA 35.4 1,154.7 -22 30
    53 Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, NJ 34.7 891.3 2 55
    54 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 34.3 828.8 6 60
    55 Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA 33.0 557.1 8 63
    56 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 32.9 550.6 -12 44
    57 Rochester, NY 32.0 515.7 -14 43
    58 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 30.7 748.2 -22 36
    59 St. Louis, MO-IL 28.5 1,315.5 6 65
    60 Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 27.2 989.0 6 66
    61 Kansas City, MO 27.1 555.2 1 62
    62 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 26.3 1,023.8 2 64
    63 Putnam-Rockland-Westchester, NY 25.8 563.2 -4 59
    64 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 25.1 608.8 -11 53
    65 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Division 18.5 717.1 -14 51
    66 Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division 16.3 504.8 -12 54

  • Midsized Cities Rankings – 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    Read about how we selected the 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    This year’s rankings use five measures of growth to rank all 398 metro areas for which full data sets were available from the past 10 years.  "Large" areas include those with a current nonfarm employment base of at least 450,000 jobs. "Midsize" areas range from 150,000 to 450,000 jobs. "Small" areas have as many as 150,000 jobs.  This year’s rankings reflect the current size of each MSAs employment.   Only one MSA—Modesto, CA—changed size categories moving from “Small” to “Midsized.” In the instances where the analysis refers to changes in ranking order within the size categories, this MSAs changes are reported as if they had been included in their current category in the prior year.

    2014  Rank Among Medium Cities Area 2014 Weighted INDEX  2013 Nonfarm Emplmt (1000s)  Size Mvmnt 2013 Size Ranking
    1 Boulder, CO 88.7 175.6 0 1
    2 Provo-Orem, UT 87.9 209.3 0 2
    3 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 85.9 410.2 5 8
    4 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 82.0 222.9 35 39
    5 Lafayette, LA 81.9 161.8 1 6
    6 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 79.0 253.7 -1 5
    7 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 78.7 340.1 13 20
    8 Boise City-Nampa, ID 78.2 276.5 10 18
    9 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 76.3 237.9 3 12
    10 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 75.8 216.9 -7 3
    11 Savannah, GA 73.4 161.7 14 25
    12 Baton Rouge, LA 72.9 389.9 -3 9
    13 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC 71.2 316.4 22 35
    14 Fresno, CA 70.7 310.7 50 64
    15 Springfield, MO 70.7 202.5 -2 13
    16 Corpus Christi, TX 70.3 188.7 -12 4
    17 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC 69.5 310.0 -7 10
    18 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 68.6 288.7 -1 17
    19 Asheville, NC 68.5 176.7 0 19
    20 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 68.2 260.4 20 40
    21 Lincoln, NE 66.5 183.5 1 22
    22 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 65.7 205.9 -6 16
    23 Trenton-Ewing, NJ 64.3 249.8 -2 21
    24 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 63.4 185.5 55 79
    25 Modesto, CA 63.3 157.6 34 59
    26 Madison, WI 59.5 360.2 31 57
    27 El Paso, TX 58.9 289.2 -4 23
    28 Framingham, MA  NECTA Division 58.0 162.3 2 30
    29 Ann Arbor, MI 57.8 209.6 -15 14
    30 Stockton, CA 56.7 203.2 31 61
    31 Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division 55.9 397.7 38 69
    32 Tulsa, OK 55.0 436.2 1 33
    33 Reno-Sparks, NV 54.7 201.1 40 73
    34 Kansas City, KS 54.6 449.6 -23 11
    35 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 53.3 172.7 -20 15
    36 Columbia, SC 52.9 364.5 2 38
    37 Colorado Springs, CO 52.1 257.3 0 37
    38 Anchorage, AK 51.8 176.1 -11 27
    39 Fort Wayne, IN 49.1 212.9 -5 34
    40 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 48.5 224.4 47 87
    41 Huntsville, AL 48.1 213.3 29 70
    42 New Haven, CT NECTA 46.7 277.6 23 65
    43 Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division 46.2 345.1 29 72
    44 Lexington-Fayette, KY 46.2 258.2 -37 7
    45 Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division 46.1 278.7 11 56
    46 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 45.3 159.2 13 59
    47 Knoxville, TN 44.7 335.8 -16 31
    48 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 44.2 329.6 -7 41
    49 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 43.1 160.9 3 52
    50 Green Bay, WI 42.9 170.0 -22 28
    51 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 42.8 289.3 4 55
    52 Canton-Massillon, OH 42.6 170.3 -28 24
    53 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 42.2 198.9 21 74
    54 Spokane, WA 42.0 215.0 -9 45
    55 Winston-Salem, NC 41.3 209.3 -7 48
    56 Akron, OH 41.0 330.3 -12 44
    57 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY 40.5 254.8 -14 43
    58 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 40.5 413.2 27 85
    59 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 40.0 345.7 -30 29
    60 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 39.0 345.1 -13 47
    61 Calvert-Charles-Prince George’s, MD 38.6 386.4 17 78
    62 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA 36.8 193.5 9 71
    63 Worcester, MA-CT NECTA 36.7 248.9 -3 60
    64 Toledo, OH 35.6 308.9 13 77
    65 Lancaster, PA 35.4 231.8 -12 53
    66 Reading, PA 34.6 170.7 -40 26
    67 Chattanooga, TN-GA 34.6 238.9 -16 51
    68 Montgomery, AL 34.0 169.0 8 76
    69 Evansville, IN-KY 33.1 177.2 -2 67
    70 Tallahassee, FL 33.0 170.4 12 82
    71 Tucson, AZ 32.7 366.4 -9 62
    72 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 32.6 217.4 -14 58
    73 Wichita, KS 32.6 290.7 17 90
    74 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 32.6 446.4 -38 36
    75 Greensboro-High Point, NC 32.4 348.7 9 84
    76 Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 32.4 273.8 -8 68
    77 Roanoke, VA 31.9 159.1 -27 50
    78 Jackson, MS 31.8 259.4 -32 46
    79 Springfield, MA-CT NECTA 31.6 293.3 12 91
    80 Baltimore City, MD 29.6 359.3 -48 32
    81 York-Hanover, PA 26.6 177.0 -32 49
    82 Syracuse, NY 23.7 315.7 -7 75
    83 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 23.5 225.1 6 89
    84 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 22.4 181.3 -30 54
    85 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 22.1 171.5 -4 81
    86 Peoria, IL 21.8 177.6 -44 42
    87 Mobile, AL 19.8 172.7 -4 83
    88 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA 19.4 253.2 -25 63
    89 Albuquerque, NM 18.6 368.1 -3 86
    90 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 17.9 194.7 -10 80
    91 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 17.7 156.9 -25 66
    92 Dayton, OH 16.4 374.2 -4 88

  • Small Cities Rankings – 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    Read about how we selected the 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    This year’s rankings use five measures of growth to rank all 398 metro areas for which full data sets were available from the past 10 years.  "Large" areas include those with a current nonfarm employment base of at least 450,000 jobs. "Midsize" areas range from 150,000 to 450,000 jobs. "Small" areas have as many as 150,000 jobs.  This year’s rankings reflect the current size of each MSAs employment.   Only one MSA—Modesto, CA—changed size categories moving from “Small” to “Midsized.” In the instances where the analysis refers to changes in ranking order within the size categories, this MSAs changes are reported as if they had been included in their current category in the prior year.

    2014  Rank Among Small Cities Area 2014 Weighted INDEX  2013 Nonfarm Emplmt (1000s)  Size Mvmnt 2013 Size Ranking
    1 Bismarck, ND 96.1 69.8 32 33
    2 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 94.1 119.2 63 65
    3 Columbia, MO 92.3 101.8 38 41
    4 St. George, UT 87.9 52.2 79 83
    5 Greeley, CO 87.7 92.0 19 24
    6 Midland, TX 87.3 87.5 -5 1
    7 Auburn-Opelika, AL 87.1 58.8 3 10
    8 Naples-Marco Island, FL 84.9 129.2 88 96
    9 College Station-Bryan, TX 84.8 104.3 104 113
    10 El Centro, CA 84.7 52.9 38 48
    11 San Angelo, TX 84.4 48.0 -6 5
    12 Anderson, SC 84.1 66.3 175 187
    13 Spartanburg, SC 83.8 131.0 34 47
    14 Jonesboro, AR 82.7 53.0 -7 7
    15 Odessa, TX 82.4 74.0 -13 2
    16 Lubbock, TX 81.9 135.1 19 35
    17 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 81.6 145.4 13 30
    18 Napa, CA 81.3 67.2 -6 12
    19 Fargo, ND-MN 80.8 133.9 7 26
    20 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 80.3 101.0 14 34
    21 Victoria, TX 79.8 54.7 0 21
    22 Columbus, IN 79.5 49.8 -19 3
    23 Iowa City, IA 79.1 98.1 41 64
    24 Laredo, TX 78.4 97.0 -4 20
    25 Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH NECTA Division 77.3 81.6 -3 22
    26 Cleveland, TN 77.3 44.7 -22 4
    27 Ames, IA 76.2 50.8 72 99
    28 Bowling Green, KY 76.1 64.5 29 57
    29 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 75.4 135.3 16 45
    30 Palm Coast, FL 75.0 20.4 37 67
    31 Holland-Grand Haven, MI 74.8 115.4 -6 25
    32 Coeur d’Alene, ID 74.5 55.5 135 167
    33 Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 74.3 114.2 53 86
    34 Sioux Falls, SD 73.5 143.7 -7 27
    35 Logan, UT-ID 72.5 56.6 53 88
    36 Winchester, VA-WV 72.4 59.2 -23 13
    37 Wilmington, NC 71.9 142.6 47 84
    38 Cheyenne, WY 71.8 46.2 -24 14
    39 Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 71.6 56.5 -21 18
    40 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 71.4 132.7 29 69
    41 Bend, OR 71.3 64.6 128 169
    42 Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA  NECTA Division 70.9 93.2 19 61
    43 Gainesville, GA 70.1 77.3 50 93
    44 Merced, CA 70.0 61.2 -4 40
    45 Ocean City, NJ 69.8 36.7 44 89
    46 Chico, CA 69.7 75.5 99 145
    47 Punta Gorda, FL 69.6 44.1 115 162
    48 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 69.4 106.4 -39 9
    49 Morgantown, WV 69.3 68.4 5 54
    50 Greenville, NC 69.1 82.2 -34 16
    51 Kokomo, IN 68.9 44.2 7 58
    52 New Bedford, MA NECTA 68.7 70.1 -24 28
    53 Pascagoula, MS 68.6 57.9 131 184
    54 Olympia, WA 68.3 104.3 83 137
    55 Visalia-Porterville, CA 68.0 114.6 5 60
    56 Mankato-North Mankato, MN 67.9 55.3 19 75
    57 St. Cloud, MN 67.4 104.2 -2 55
    58 Bellingham, WA 67.2 85.3 97 155
    59 Tyler, TX 65.8 97.3 44 103
    60 Port St. Lucie, FL 65.4 129.3 67 127
    61 Missoula, MT 64.6 57.9 17 78
    62 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 64.5 40.1 -9 53
    63 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 64.4 46.4 93 156
    64 Idaho Falls, ID 64.3 50.9 41 105
    65 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA 64.0 102.3 98 163
    66 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 64.0 73.7 -49 17
    67 Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 63.8 96.1 -56 11
    68 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 63.6 93.5 17 85
    69 Monroe, MI 62.8 41.1 150 219
    70 Casper, WY 62.7 42.1 -38 32
    71 Ithaca, NY 61.5 69.4 -1 70
    72 Pueblo, CO 61.4 59.8 38 110
    73 La Crosse, WI-MN 61.4 77.4 4 77
    74 Longview, TX 61.1 101.2 -45 29
    75 Sherman-Denison, TX 61.1 44.6 7 82
    76 Battle Creek, MI 61.0 58.4 0 76
    77 Flagstaff, AZ 60.8 63.0 4 81
    78 Springfield, OH 60.8 52.8 115 193
    79 Dover, DE 60.6 66.9 122 201
    80 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 60.6 126.9 20 100
    81 Clarksville, TN-KY 59.9 88.5 -43 38
    82 Grand Forks, ND-MN 59.8 57.2 -45 37
    83 Jacksonville, NC 59.8 48.9 -21 62
    84 Billings, MT 59.7 81.8 -65 19
    85 Lake Charles, LA 59.3 94.1 -41 44
    86 Lafayette, IN 59.1 99.8 -71 15
    87 Lebanon, PA 58.8 51.4 -16 71
    88 Great Falls, MT 58.5 36.3 48 136
    89 Dubuque, IA 58.3 59.2 -46 43
    90 Madera-Chowchilla, CA 57.7 35.2 43 133
    91 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 57.0 76.4 0 91
    92 Athens-Clarke County, GA 55.6 90.7 20 112
    93 Charlottesville, VA 55.2 104.0 71 164
    94 Janesville, WI 55.2 64.8 80 174
    95 Owensboro, KY 54.8 52.8 -89 6
    96 St. Joseph, MO-KS 54.7 63.0 -46 50
    97 Eau Claire, WI 54.6 83.3 -25 72
    98 Tuscaloosa, AL 54.5 97.7 -18 80
    99 Sumter, SC 54.3 38.3 21 120
    100 Fond du Lac, WI 54.1 47.0 102 202
    101 Redding, CA 54.0 61.0 119 220
    102 Salem, OR 53.6 146.3 80 182
    103 Joplin, MO 53.6 82.3 6 109
    104 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 52.7 79.5 -41 63
    105 Prescott, AZ 52.5 57.5 52 157
    106 Elizabethtown, KY 52.1 49.7 -9 97
    107 Abilene, TX 51.5 67.5 -51 56
    108 Williamsport, PA 50.9 56.3 -100 8
    109 Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL 50.9 72.1 74 183
    110 Rochester, MN 50.6 107.6 -61 49
    111 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 50.5 104.2 -80 31
    112 Las Cruces, NM 50.0 70.6 32 144
    113 Yuba City, CA 49.4 39.1 45 158
    114 Florence, SC 49.3 85.5 61 175
    115 Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA 49.3 118.2 -79 36
    116 Jackson, TN 49.0 61.7 -74 42
    117 Duluth, MN-WI 48.6 132.8 13 130
    118 Yakima, WA 48.4 80.1 -3 115
    119 Wheeling, WV-OH 47.5 68.4 49 168
    120 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 47.3 94.4 -19 101
    121 Harrisonburg, VA 47.2 65.0 -70 51
    122 Danbury, CT NECTA 46.4 69.9 -11 111
    123 Grand Junction, CO 46.3 60.8 -1 122
    124 Lawrence, KS 46.1 52.1 -30 94
    125 Amarillo, TX 46.0 114.1 -33 92
    126 Medford, OR 45.7 78.3 51 177
    127 State College, PA 45.5 76.2 -11 116
    128 Peabody, MA  NECTA Division 44.6 103.7 -69 59
    129 Eugene-Springfield, OR 44.6 146.2 57 186
    130 Longview, WA 44.1 37.4 13 143
    131 Hattiesburg, MS 43.8 60.4 -17 114
    132 Rapid City, SD 43.8 61.4 -11 121
    133 Corvallis, OR 43.6 39.3 -46 87
    134 Manchester, NH NECTA 43.1 101.3 -16 118
    135 Fairbanks, AK 42.8 38.0 -45 90
    136 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 41.7 92.1 -84 52
    137 Waco, TX 41.6 107.0 -91 46
    138 Salinas, CA 41.6 126.7 33 171
    139 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 41.5 55.8 3 142
    140 Kankakee-Bradley, IL 41.0 44.2 -38 102
    141 Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA 41.0 19.9 10 151
    142 Monroe, LA 40.9 78.6 -13 129
    143 Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH  NECTA Division 40.8 120.4 -45 98
    144 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 40.6 107.2 84 228
    145 Lawton, OK 40.6 44.3 -4 141
    146 Gainesville, FL 40.5 131.5 -51 95
    147 Columbus, GA-AL 40.5 121.8 -13 134
    148 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 40.2 61.8 -82 66
    149 Gadsden, AL 40.2 36.9 41 190
    150 Lewiston, ID-WA 40.0 26.5 41 191
    151 Appleton, WI 39.7 118.4 -25 126
    152 Bloomington, IN 39.1 83.1 13 165
    153 Waterbury, CT NECTA 38.8 65.1 70 223
    154 Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA 38.0 49.1 19 173
    155 Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 37.5 87.7 23 178
    156 Bangor, ME NECTA 37.4 66.5 -33 123
    157 Sandusky, OH 37.3 34.9 75 232
    158 Hanford-Corcoran, CA 37.1 36.5 -12 146
    159 Morristown, TN 37.1 46.6 53 212
    160 Warner Robins, GA 37.1 58.7 -35 125
    161 Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 36.8 46.5 27 188
    162 Pocatello, ID 36.6 36.8 17 179
    163 Fayetteville, NC 36.1 132.5 -56 107
    164 Sheboygan, WI 35.6 58.7 47 211
    165 Cedar Rapids, IA 35.5 140.4 -61 104
    166 Manhattan, KS 35.2 56.5 -127 39
    167 Valdosta, GA 35.0 54.1 -36 131
    168 Goldsboro, NC 34.7 43.6 28 196
    169 Nashua, NH-MA  NECTA Division 34.3 129.3 -10 159
    170 Topeka, KS 34.1 110.7 -62 108
    171 Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL 34.0 44.7 -31 140
    172 Hot Springs, AR 33.9 37.3 -48 124
    173 Ocala, FL 33.5 93.1 -26 147
    174 Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 32.5 60.0 40 214
    175 Cumberland, MD-WV 31.6 39.6 -56 119
    176 Bay City, MI 30.6 37.2 -108 68
    177 Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 30.6 84.3 26 203
    178 Yuma, AZ 30.4 52.5 -26 152
    179 Macon, GA 29.7 99.1 -100 79
    180 Santa Fe, NM 29.5 61.5 12 192
    181 Kingston, NY 29.4 60.1 44 225
    182 Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA NECTA 28.8 49.0 16 198
    183 Farmington, NM 27.8 49.6 6 189
    184 Muncie, IN 27.8 51.9 -161 23
    185 Lima, OH 27.3 52.7 46 231
    186 Erie, PA 27.3 129.7 -38 148
    187 Rochester-Dover, NH-ME NECTA 27.3 56.4 -49 138
    188 Rome, GA 26.9 39.3 -7 181
    189 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 26.8 119.9 -36 153
    190 Springfield, IL 26.8 110.8 -58 132
    191 Anderson, IN 26.3 40.4 -117 74
    192 Wausau, WI 25.7 68.2 25 217
    193 Altoona, PA 25.5 60.7 -58 135
    194 Salisbury, MD 25.4 52.7 -44 150
    195 Burlington, NC 25.3 59.1 4 199
    196 Jackson, MI 24.3 54.5 19 215
    197 Pittsfield, MA NECTA 23.8 35.8 -25 172
    198 Champaign-Urbana, IL 23.7 107.9 6 204
    199 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 23.3 146.1 31 230
    200 Alexandria, LA 22.8 62.8 -3 197
    201 Flint, MI 22.5 136.7 25 226
    202 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 22.5 45.3 16 218
    203 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 22.5 135.2 18 221
    204 Decatur, AL 22.3 54.3 18 222
    205 Fort Smith, AR-OK 21.9 116.6 -11 194
    206 Racine, WI 21.8 75.2 3 209
    207 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 21.6 114.8 -27 180
    208 Terre Haute, IN 21.3 70.9 -32 176
    209 Albany, GA 21.0 61.6 -24 185
    210 Rockford, IL 20.9 146.9 -44 166
    211 Jefferson City, MO 20.8 76.5 -16 195
    212 Glens Falls, NY 20.0 52.2 -106 106
    213 Johnson City, TN 19.9 78.3 -59 154
    214 Lynchburg, VA 18.4 102.3 -54 160
    215 Utica-Rome, NY 17.7 127.9 9 224
    216 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR 17.7 55.2 -77 139
    217 Dothan, AL 17.4 56.9 -11 206
    218 Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH 17.2 69.8 -2 216
    219 Danville, VA 17.1 39.9 -146 73
    220 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 16.6 137.2 9 229
    221 Brunswick, GA 16.5 40.1 -60 161
    222 Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 15.4 44.1 16 238
    223 Johnstown, PA 15.1 58.5 -74 149
    224 Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 14.3 57.7 -17 207
    225 Mansfield, OH 13.4 52.2 11 236
    226 Bloomington-Normal, IL 12.3 88.9 -109 117
    227 Elmira, NY 12.0 38.9 -17 210
    228 Wichita Falls, TX 10.3 57.7 -1 227
    229 Charleston, WV 9.3 144.3 -59 170
    230 Anniston-Oxford, AL 7.0 45.5 -25 205
    231 Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 6.4 126.0 2 233
    232 Decatur, IL 5.6 51.3 5 237
    233 Dalton, GA 5.4 63.5 8 241
    234 Rocky Mount, NC 5.3 55.3 6 240
    235 Carson City, NV 4.8 27.3 0 235
    236 Binghamton, NY 4.3 106.1 -2 234
    237 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 3.9 132.5 2 239
    238 Danville, IL 3.9 28.7 -38 200
    239 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 3.8 41.8 -26 213
    240 Pine Bluff, AR 3.1 35.4 -32 208

  • 2014 How We Pick the Best Cities For Job Growth

    Read about how we selected the 2014 Best Cities for Job Growth

    The methodology for the 2014 rankings largely corresponds to that used in previous years, which emphasizes the robustness of a region’s growth both recently and over time, with a minor addition to mitigate the volatility that the Great Recession has introduced into the time series.  It allows the rankings to include all of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports monthly employment data. They are derived from three-month rolling averages of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics "state and area" unadjusted employment data reported from November 2002 to January 2014.

    The data reflect the North American Industry Classification System categories, including total nonfarm employment, manufacturing, financial services, business and professional services, educational and health services, information, retail and wholesale trade, transportation and utilities, leisure and hospitality, and government.

    This year’s rankings use five measures of growth to rank all 398 metro areas for which full data sets were available from the past 10 years.  "Large" areas include those with a current nonfarm employment base of at least 450,000 jobs. "Midsize" areas range from 150,000 to 450,000 jobs. "Small" areas have as many as 150,000 jobs.  This year’s rankings reflect the current size of each MSAs employment.   Only one MSA—Modesto, CA—changed size categories moving from “Small” to “Midsized.” In the instances where the analysis refers to changes in ranking order within the size categories, this MSAs changes are reported as if they had been included in their current category in the prior year.

    The index is calculated from a normalized, weighted summary of: 1) recent growth trend: the current and prior year’s employment growth rates, with the current year emphasized (two points); 2) mid-term growth: the average annual 2008-2013 growth rate (two points); 3) long-term momentum: the sum of the 2008-2013 and 2002-2007 employment growth rates multiplied by the ratio of the 2002-2007 growth rate over the 2008-2013 growth rate (one point); 4) current year growth (one point); and 5) the average of each year’s growth rate, normalized annually, for the last ten years (two points).  This methodology varies slightly from 2013 in that long-term momentum (factor 3) is reduced slightly in importance and long-term consistency (factor 5) has been added to mitigate the distortions created by instances of huge swings down and up by some MSA’s associated with the Great Recession. The goal of the rankings methodology is to capture a snapshot of the present and prospective employment outlook in each MSA and these revisions allow the reader to have a better sense of employment climate in each.