2010 Best-Performing Cities - 200 Largest Metros
200 Largest Metros List   View 179 Smallest Metros List

The 2010 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. In most years, these give a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics. The full report can be downloaded here.  

2010 Best-Performing Cities
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Please credit any use of this data to Milken Institute.
Click on any of the links across the top to re-rank the metros by that category.   
MSA = metropolitan statistical area
MD = metropolitan division
Footnotes  *1 | *2 | *3 | *4 | *5 | *6 | *7 | *8 | *9       

Biggest Gainers
Spots Climbed 2010 Rank 2009 Rank Metropolitan Area
97  39  136  Clarksville, TN-KY MSA  
84  44  128  St. Louis, MO-IL MSA  
83  61  144  Charleston, WV MSA  
77  32  109  Pittsburgh, PA MSA  
76  73  149  Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA  
69  102  171  Green Bay, WI MSA  
67  45  112  Columbus, GA-AL MSA  
61  100  161  Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA  
58  115  173  Vallejo-Fairfield, CA MSA  
57  13  70  Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA  
54  70  124  Visalia-Porterville, CA MSA  
47  66  113  Jackson, MS MSA  
45  55  100  Honolulu, HI MSA  
43  54  97  Lincoln, NE MSA  
41  88  129  Tallahassee, FL MSA  
41  116  157  Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL MSA  
41  122  163  Duluth, MN-WI MSA  
40  113  153  Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA  
39  133  172  Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA  
39  79  118  Richmond, VA MSA  
38  157  195  Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA  
38  130  168  Gary, IN MD  
36  75  111  Peabody, MA MD  
36  110  146  Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA  
34  12  46  Trenton-Ewing, NJ MSA  
Biggest Decliners
Spots Declined 2010 Rank 2009 Rank Metropolitan Area
-95  138  43  Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA MSA  
-88  150  62  Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA  
-82  132  50  San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA  
-81  101  20  Greeley, CO MSA  
-79  160  81  Eugene-Springfield, OR MSA  
-70  107  37  Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MSA  
-70  93  23  Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR MSA  
-65  153  88  New Haven-Milford, CT MSA  
-62  111  49  Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA  
-59  136  77  Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC MSA  
-57  152  95  Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI MD  
-57  72  15  Wichita, KS MSA  
-57  164  107  Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA  
-55  159  104  Ocala, FL MSA  
-54  87  33  Peoria, IL MSA  
-53  196  143  Reno-Sparks, NV MSA  
-50  129  79  Worcester, MA MSA  
-50  172  122  Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA MD  
-46  49  Salt Lake City, UT MSA  
-43  146  103  Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA  
-40  154  114  Boise City-Nampa, ID MSA  
-39  123  84  New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA MSA  
-37  85  48  Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA  
-34  193  159  Modesto, CA MSA  
-34  189  155  Naples-Marco Island, FL MSA