Area Development
While our list does not rank the locales, we highlight the top five, which appeared on the most lists we considered. With a total of nine mentions across the 14 lists in our review, Austin, Texas, was the most named Leading Location. Regardless of how many lists an area appeared on, they all represent some of the best-performing locations in the recession-to-recovery period.

Please use the key in the left-hand column below to match which cities appear on which lists.

  • On 10 Surveys
  • Austin, Texas
  • On 8 Surveys
  • Denver, Colorado
  • Seattle, Washington
  • On 7 Surveys
  • Raleigh Area, North Carolina
  • On 6 Surveys
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • On 5 Surveys
  • Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
  • Lincoln, Nebraska
  • New York Metro Area
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Salt Lake City, Utah
  • On 4 Surveys
  • Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Anchorage, Alaska
  • Baltimore-Towson, Maryland
  • Bismarck, North Dakota
  • Bloomington, Indiana
  • Boulder, Colorado
  • College Station-Bryan, Texas
  • Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Columbia, Missouri
  • Durham, North Carolina
  • El Paso, Texas
  • Fargo, North Dakota
  • Huntsville, Alabama
  • Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Arkansas
  • McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • San Diego, California
  • On 3 Surveys
  • Ames, Iowa
  • Augusta Area, Georgia
  • Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Maryland
  • Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York
  • Charleston, South Carolina
  • Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Council Bluffs, Iowa
  • Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
  • Fayetteville, Arkansas
  • Fayetteville, North Carolina
  • Fort Collins, Colorado
  • Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
  • Hartford Area, Connecticut
  • Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Iowa City, Iowa
  • Jacksonville, North Carolina
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Washington
  • Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas
  • Lafayette, Louisiana
  • Las Cruces, New Mexico
  • Lawton, Oklahoma
  • Lexington, Kentucky
  • Logan, Utah
  • Louisville, Kentucky
  • Morgantown, West Virginia
  • Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tennessee
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Provo, Utah
  • Ogden, Utah
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • St. Louis, Missouri
  • St. Joseph, Missouri
  • Springfield, Missouri
  • Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia
  • Yakima, Washington


Please use the key in the left-hand column below to match which cities appear on which lists.
  • On 2 Surveys
  • Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York
  • Amarillo, Texas
  • Auburn, Alabama
  • Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas
  • Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • Columbia, South Carolina
  • Greenville, South Carolina
  • Hanford-Corcoran, California
  • Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania
  • Hattiesburg, Mississippi
  • Hinesville-Fort Stewart, Georgia
  • Ithaca, New York
  • Jackson, Mississippi
  • Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Madison, Wisconsin
  • Nassau-Suffolk Counties, New York
  • Pascagoula, Mississippi
  • Pueblo, Colorado
  • Rapid City, South Dakota
  • Rochester, New York
  • Salem, Oregon
  • Savannah, Georgia
  • Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana
  • Spokane, Washington
  • State College, Pennsylvania
  • Syracuse, New York
  • Tallahassee, Florida
  • Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Warner Robins, Georgia