25 Lubbock, TX
2011 Rank: 252010 Rank: 24Cotton production helped limit Lubbock's dip to just one position, as prices were driven higher by emerging market demand. The region also has a high concentration of telecom...
View Article24 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
2011 Rank: 24 2010 Rank: 23Slipped one spot from a year ago, but long-term prospects are strong as the Barnett Shale natural gas play develops. GE Transportation is putting a locomotive factory in...
View Article23 Madison, WI
2011 Rank: 23 2010 Rank: 31With a magnet for employers in the University of Wisconsin, Madison has an emerging high-tech sector that accounts for 10.5% of its workforce. Government budget pressures...
View Article22 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
2011 Rank: 22 2010 Rank: 46Low costs, along with a favorable tax structure and strong university presence, have long made Omaha an attractive home for heavyweights like Berkshire Hathaway, Union...
View Article21 Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD
2011 Rank: 21 2010 Rank: 20A high concentration of entrepreneurs and abundance of venture capital should help the area withstand government budget cuts, as will the consolidation of military hospitals...
View Article20 Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX
2011 Rank: 20 2010 Rank:17Like the rest of the Texas cities on the list, the lack of a state income tax helps boost Dallas’ attractiveness to employers, including those operating call centers and...
View Article19 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
2011 Rank: 192010 Rank: 93Unlike most U.S. cities, where government cutbacks are hurting the employment picture, Arkansas’ public sector is expanding and bolstering Little Rock. The University of...
View Article18 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
2011 Rank: 18 2010 Rank: 4Plummeted from fourth-place in 2010, but drug violence in Mexico continues to send middle- and upper-class Mexicans to McAllen, boosting the need for health care and other...
View Article17 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
2011 Rank: 172010 Rank: 6Perhaps the single biggest-beneficiary of federal jobs shielding a region from the Great Recession. That luck may run out to some extent though, as budget cuts could push up...
View Article16 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
2011 Rank: 16 2010 Rank: 10It's all about black gold in Houston, where oil and gas exploration is 15 times more important than the national average. Its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico also makes the...
View Article15 Ogden-Clearfield, UT
2011 Rank: 15 2010 Rank: 53Another Utah representative, Ogden’s job base jumped 3.7% from 2010, second-best in the country. Thanks to Hill Air Force Base the area has been shielded from many aspects of...
View Article14. Raleigh-Cary, NC
2011 Rank: 142010 Rank: 7 Part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Raleigh ranks ahead of the national averages in many categories, including long-term job growth. High-tech industries like telecom,...
View Article13 Cedar Rapids, IA.
2011 Rank: 132010 Rank: 28Rockwell Collins and others make Cedar Rapids is emerging as a hub for aviation businesses. The city’s financial services sector has also been resilient to broader industry...
View Article12 Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA
2011 Rank: 12 2010 Rank: 22Skilled workers from schools like MIT and Harvard make the pickings ripe for employers, particularly biopharmaceutical companies like Novartis, Genzyme and Biogen, along with...
View Article11 Charleston-North Charleston, SC
2011 Rank: 11 2010 Rank: 19Aerospace is a big moneymaker for Charleston, with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner assembly plant up and running, and attracting other businesses like aircraft component maker...
View Article10 Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, WA
2011 Rank: 10 2010 Rank:5Momentum from a federally-funded effort to clean up the Hanford nuclear site is slowing, but growing industries like health care, manufacturing and software/IT services should...
View Article9 Provo-Orem, UT
2011 Rank: 9 2010 Rank: 25 Home to a vital source of talent and research in Brigham Young University, Provo has seen employers like EMC and a joint venture of Intel and Micron Technology announce...
View Article8 Huntsville, AL
2011 Rank: 82010 Rank: 3 The federal government was a big contributor to Huntsville’s growth, but even as some spending declines the area should benefit from BRAC and its high concentration of...
View Article7 Anchorage, AK
2011 Rank: 72010 Rank: 8 The major cargo hub has seen increased shipping, with tonnage up 20% in the first four months of 2011, and also draws strength from large-scale energy projects in the face of...
View Article6 Salt Lake City, UT
2011 Rank: 6 2010 Rank: 49 This metro's stunning ascent comes from a productive mix of available talent and low business costs that attracts high-paying jobs in both high-tech and natural resources...
View Article5 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX
2011 Rank: 5 2010 Rank: 1Last year’s best-performing city slipped in 2011, but not too far. The closest ties to a military base of any community in the U.S have helped attract high-paying defense jobs...
View Article4 Austin-Round Rock, TX
2011 Rank: 42010 Rank: 2Dell's hometown of Round Rock also touts Apple, AT&T, IBM and others among its major employers. Samsung is planning to pump another $3.6 billion into its Austin...
View Article3 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
2011 Rank: 3 2010 Rank: 50 A ready source of talent is a boon for many cities, and the home of Colorado State University is no exception. High-paying tech jobs abound in the area, from employers...
View Article2 El Paso, TX
2011 Rank: 22010 Rank: 9The single biggest beneficiary of the BRAC process also benefits from U.S.-Mexico trade. Many workers who make their living in Juarez, Mexico spend their paychecks in El Paso.
View Article1 San Antonio, TX
2011 Rank: 1 2010 Rank: 14 Balance drove San Antonio to the top spot in 2011. The city did not finish first in any of the categories measured by Milken, but has already reached its pre-recession...
View ArticleAmerica's 25 Best-Performing Cities
The Milken Institute's Best-Performing Cities index measures U.S. metropolitan areas based on growth in jobs, wages and salaries, and technology output. It weighs those factors over a five-year span,...
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