New Geography

Tag: Best Cities 2014

  • 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.