Introduction
It's certainly not news that times have been tough across America's cities in recent years. The Great Recession may be officially over, but many communities are still suffering a painful hangover.
LEADING LOCATIONS FOR 2012 RESOURCES
Not these MSAs, though. Area
Development's Leading Locations
have found a way to thrive in the
midst of adversity, to prosper while
so many places have struggled. More
than 9 million jobs vanished during
the course of the downturn, and of
the 365 MSAs - Metropolitan
Statistical Areas - studied here,
more than three-quarters still have
fewer people working now than they
did five years ago. But even amid
that gloom, there were blooms of
prosperity, and there are some places
that have gotten back on their feet
faster than others.
This analysis of Leading Locations
is informed by two dozen different
economic and workforce indicators
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the Bureau of Economic Analysis,
and the U.S. Census American
Community Survey. It ranks the
365 MSAs in a variety of ways,
including an overall ranking that
crunches 23 indicators, plus separate
rankings of "Prime Workforce
Growth," "Economic Strength,"
and "Recession-Busting"
factors.
What general conclusions can be drawn? The truth is, there are myriad explanations for why these MSAs have fared the way they have. But take a look at the top performers overall and you'll see a lot of locations closer to the nation's midsection than the coasts - Indiana, Texas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, to name a few. That generally holds true among the top locations in the three factors lists as well.
Otherwise, though, these top locations advanced for a variety of reasons. Some of the locations highest on the list are experiencing explosive growth in extraction of energy from shale or from the Gulf of Mexico. Green energy developments are fueling growth elsewhere. Other communities are benefiting from the "comeback" of U.S. manufacturing and the presence of major employers that have cracked the puzzle of exporting to those parts of the world where growth remains hot. Still others have top employers cashing in on life sciences or technology innovations. More than likely these locations are home to universities providing a young, prime work force and technology-transfer skills.
Read on to see the Top 100 MSAs ranked based on overall results, as well as for a closer look at a dozen locations whose recent economic successes we chose to highlight...
Top 100 Leading Locations for 2012
-
- Rank
- City/MSA
- State
- Population
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-
 Ranking 1st among the 100 Leading
Locations overall, the small Indiana city of
Columbus also led Area Development's Top 20
Midwest Cities and Top 25 Small Cities rankings. Among small cities, Columbus
placed 3rd in "Economic Strength" factors,
4th in "Prime Workforce Growth," and 5th
for its "Recession-Busting" indicators.
Columbus is the headquarters of Fortune
500 diesel engine and power generator
maker Cummins Inc., which employs more
than 7,000 locally. Japanese driveshaft manufacturer NTN employs 1,700 in
Columbus, auto emission control and
exhaust systems maker Faurecia maintains
production and North American R&D
there, and Dorel Juvenile Group makes
child safety seats and handles R&D in
Columbus. The city has averaged one corporate
expansion announcement a month
since 2010, creating 1,840 jobs, and current
employment figures there are the thirdhighest
on record. Columbus had the
nation's 4th-highest GDP growth in 2010
(the most recent figures available), and
though it's a one-county MSA with a population
of about 77,000, its GDP is greater
than that of 37 countries.
Among the significant 2011 headlines,
Japanese auto components maker Sunright
America announced plans to create 100
jobs, and Cummins announced an $18 million
investment with 600 new jobs at its
headquarters and tech center. Columbus
was recognized in February by the Christian
Science Monitor as the "top city for job
growth," the AARP last fall put it among the
top 10 "Affordable Cities," and its strong collection
of prominent architecture ranks 6th
in the United States (the top five cities with
strong collections of prominent architecture
are much larger).
-
-
 Odessa tops the list of Area Development's Top 20 Southwest Cities. The city also
placed 2nd among the Top 25 Small Cities in "Economic Strength" and 3rd in
"Recession-Busting" factors, and 2nd among
the Top 50 Small Cities overall.
An oil boom is presently fueling local
employment, filling jobs not just in energy
but also across the economy, including in
construction, hospitality, and business services.
Some local companies have even set up
"man camps" to house laborers, and in
nearby Midland, major local employers and
the city are considering going together on
an apartment complex to meet the demand
for housing. Unemployment is down to just
above 4 percent, and building permits in
2012 topped $100 million by May.
An array of investments dots the Odessa area
map. One of the biggest is the Texas
Clean Energy Project, worth more than $2
billion in investment, 1,500 construction
jobs, and 200 high-paying operations positions.
Given the way this boom is attracting
residents, it's no surprise that projects also
include everything from housing to churches
to restaurants.
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-
 No. 1 among the Top 20 Southern Cities and 3rd overall among Area Development's 100
Leading Locations was Lafayette, Louisiana.
It topped the "Economic Strength" indicators
among the Top-25 Mid-Size Cities,
and was 3rd among this same group for its
"Recession-Busting" factors.
It's home to the University of Louisiana-
Lafayette, plus numerous significant players
in oil and gas. Lafayette Parish has seen $1.3
billion in business investments since 2005,
and 2011 was its best year ever, with more
than $330 million invested and 2,700 jobs
created. Among the many headlines,
Halliburton last year picked Lafayette for a
150 job, $65 million plant to produce components
for oilfield service operations.
The city is accustomed to accolades, being
named Forbes' "Best Mid-Sized City for Jobs"
in 2012. Sentier Research this year reported
that the Lafayette MSA had the fastestgrowing
income among all U.S. metro areas,
and its jobless rate under 5 percent this
spring was the lowest in Louisiana. It also
was Southern Living's 2012 "Tastiest Town in
the South" and the "Best Small Town for
Food" in the 2011 Rand McNally/USA Today"Best of the Road" rankings.
-
-
-
-
- 7.
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
- CA
- 1,836,911
-
-
-
-
 Columbia placed 2nd in the Top 20
Midwest Cities, with solid performance in
most of the metrics studied. It also ranked
2nd among the Top 25 Mid-Size Cities for
its "Recession-Busting" indicators, and 5th
for its "Economic Strength" factors among
this group. Employment numbers were
respectable throughout the recent recession
and really took off in the past year. The city
has maintained a jobless rate well below the
state average for years.
It's the ultimate college town, home not
only to the flagship campus of University of
Missouri but also to Stephens College and
Columbia College, plus campuses of a few
more institutions. Major industrial sectors
include life sciences, human and animal
health, and information technology. Two
significant insurance operations also employ
more than a thousand people apiece.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
maintains a large presence in Columbia, and
the veteran-focused sector also includes the
VA Mortgage Center, which last year landed
state incentives to support the addition of as
many as 300 jobs.
-
- 11.
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
- TX
- 1,716,289
-
- 12.
- Pittsburgh
- PA
- 2,356,285
-
- 13.
- Oklahoma City
- OK
- 1,252,987
-
 Oklahoma City is a solid "Recession
Buster," ranking 4th among the Top 25 Big
Cities in those factors and also 4th in
"Prime Workforce Growth" and 6th in
"Economic Strength" factors among this
same group of MSAs. It also placed 4th
among Area Development's Top 20 Southwest
Cities as well as among its Top 50 Big
Cities overall.
That's no surprise to national economic
observers: Garner Economics this year
reported Oklahoma City had the highest
annual earnings growth rate among large
metro areas; Business Journals ranked it the
3rd "Best City for Small Business"; Forbes called it the 4th "Best City for Jobs"; and
KPMG ranked it the nation's "Most Cost-
Effective City." And in The Wall Street
Journal, Thumbtack.com said the area is No.
1 in overall regulatory friendliness.
Education, energy, and the military are
among top local employers: examples
include Tinker Air Force Base, the
University of Oklahoma, the Federal
Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney
Aeronautical Center, Chesapeake Energy
Corp., and OG&E Energy Corp. Since 2006,
the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has
helped new and expanding businesses invest $459 million and create 32,490 jobs.
Among many headlines, Boeing in 2010
and 2011 announced plans to relocate military
and government support operations
from elsewhere, adding more than 1,300
jobs, and Devon Energy Corp. is building a
50-story headquarters that will house 2,600
employees.
-
- 14.
- Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville
- SC
- 664,607
-
 Ranking 2nd among Area Development's Top 20 South-Atlantic Cities was the
Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville
MSA, earning its place on the strength of a 2nd place showing in "Recession-Busting"
indicators, 5th place ranking in "Prime
Workforce Growth," and 9th place ranking
in "Economic Strength" factors among the Top 25 Big Cities. The MSA ranked 21st
among the 100 Leading Locations for its
employment growth net 3-year change.
From mid-2009 through mid-2011, the
area landed $1.4 billion in new capital
investment and nearly 5,500 new jobs. In
May, The Brookings Institution ranked
Charleston first in the nation in manufacturing
job growth. The MSA's new Boeing
assembly plant recently marked the first 787
Dreamliner flight from South Carolina; the
plant will ultimately create more than 4,000
direct jobs. Another 200 jobs are on the way
at an $85 million power cable plant planned
by French manufacturer Nexans. Top local
employers beyond Boeing include Google,
Daimler, BAE Systems, Robert Bosch, Force
Protection, Blackbaud, and Lockheed
Martin.
Forbes placed Charleston 5th among midsized
metro areas on its "Best Cities for
Jobs" listing in May; in 2011, The Wall Street
Journal named it tops in the nation for
growth in college degrees, and last year
CNN listed it 3rd among the "World's Best
Cities."
-
- 15.
- Nashville-Davidson-
Murfreesboro-Franklin
- TN
- 1,589,934
-
-
-
-
- 19.
- State College
- PA
- 153,990
-
- 20.
- Trenton-Ewing
- NJ
- 366,513
-
- 21.
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
- DC-VA-
MD-WV
- 5,582,170
-
-
- 23.
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy
- MA-NH
- 4,552,402
-
- 24.
- Holland-Grand Haven
- MI
- 263,801
-
-
 Owensboro placed 4th on Area
Development's Top 20 Southern Cities, with a
9th place ranking for its
"Recession Busting" factors
among the Top 25 Small
Cities. Its three-year employment
growth as a percentage
of population was 23rd-best
among all of the 100 Leading
Locations.
Helping Owensboro prosper
is a diversified economy,
as evidenced by announcements
from both the tobacco
and financial sectors:
Pinkerton Tobacco and U.S.
Bank are investing in the
MSA. Other major employers
(in addition to the local health system)
include a Unilever Foods pasta sauce plant,
a Specialty Foods Group meat-processing
plant, and transportation manufacturers
Toyotetsu MidAmerica and Metalsa. Four
institutions of higher education serve the
area, and even as the nation trudged
through recession, the community's
eMerging Ventures Center for Innovation
was nurturing two dozen startups, winning
$50 million in investments, and creating 70
jobs with pay averaging nearly $100,000.
The New York Times last year spotlighted
Owenboro's downtown revitalization; New
Geography placed it 22nd among its "Best
Small Cities for Job Growth in 2012," and
Bloomberg BusinessWeek called it the "state's
best place to raise kids."
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Next: Leading Locations for 2012 - MSAs Ranked 26-50
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