Read about how we selected the 2015 Best Cities for Job Growth
We used five measures of growth to rank MSAs over 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 new Office of Management and Budget definitions of MSAs for all series released after March 2015. As a result, the MSA listed in this year’s rankings do not necessary correspond directly to those listed in prior years. In some instances, MSAs were consolidated with others — for example Pascagoula, MS, was combined with the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS, MSA to form the new Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS, MSA. Others were separated from previously consolidated MSAs and in still other instances individual counties were shifted from one MSA to another. The bottom line is that this year’s rankings are based on good time series for the newly defined MSAs but may not be precisely comparable to those listed in prior years. The total number of MSAs included in this year’s rankings has risen from 398 to 421. This year’s rankings reflect the current size of each MSA’s employment.
| 2014 MSA Info Ranking - Midsized MSAs | Area | 2015 Weighted INDEX | 2014 Nonfarm Emplymt (1000s) | 2014 Info Emplymt | Total Information Emplymt Cum Growth 2009-2014 | 2015 Change from 2014 - Midsized MSAs |
| 1 | Savannah, GA | 96.6 | 168.1 | 2.0 | 28.3% | 63 |
| 2 | Tallahassee, FL | 93.5 | 176.3 | 3.9 | 23.2% | 14 |
| 3 | Baton Rouge, LA | 93.5 | 399.8 | 6.0 | 28.6% | 3 |
| 4 | Provo-Orem, UT | 92.1 | 219.7 | 10.2 | 30.1% | (3) |
| 5 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 89.6 | 294.2 | 4.2 | 17.8% | 3 |
| 6 | Madison, WI | 89.5 | 386.9 | 14.8 | 36.1% | (3) |
| 7 | Ann Arbor, MI | 89.4 | 211.3 | 5.0 | 26.1% | 14 |
| 8 | Jackson, MS | 85.1 | 273.3 | 5.3 | 19.4% | 14 |
| 9 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 80.3 | 180.0 | 4.5 | 32.4% | (5) |
| 10 | Springfield, MO | 79.4 | 204.8 | 4.3 | 7.6% | 24 |
| 11 | Lincoln, NE | 77.1 | 185.7 | 2.6 | 13.0% | 2 |
| 12 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 76.1 | 247.9 | 2.3 | 9.5% | 8 |
| 13 | El Paso, TX | 75.9 | 296.7 | 5.9 | 16.4% | (2) |
| 14 | Huntsville, AL | 75.6 | 217.9 | 2.7 | 14.1% | (7) |
| 15 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 75.2 | 324.3 | 5.3 | 2.6% | (6) |
| 16 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA | 74.0 | 409.4 | 11.4 | 10.0% | (11) |
| 17 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 70.1 | 228.2 | 3.2 | 6.7% | (7) |
| 18 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 70.0 | 295.6 | 5.5 | 5.1% | 23 |
| 19 | Winston-Salem, NC | 69.8 | 255.2 | 2.3 | 0.0% | 14 |
| 20 | Green Bay, WI | 69.6 | 173.6 | 2.1 | 1.6% | 40 |
| 21 | Tacoma-Lakewood, WA Met Div | 66.4 | 293.5 | 2.9 | 0.0% | (3) |
| 22 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 65.2 | 235.4 | 3.1 | 8.1% | (5) |
| 23 | Knoxville, TN | 64.3 | 382.8 | 5.8 | 3.0% | (4) |
| 24 | Fresno, CA | 63.5 | 319.2 | 3.9 | 1.7% | 22 |
| 25 | Asheville, NC | 62.9 | 181.4 | 1.9 | -4.9% | 13 |
| 26 | Boise City, ID | 62.6 | 284.2 | 4.4 | -0.8% | (14) |
| 27 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 62.3 | 276.7 | 3.4 | 0.0% | 18 |
| 28 | Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | 61.1 | 394.4 | 7.1 | 3.4% | (1) |
| 29 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 61.0 | 354.0 | 6.2 | 6.3% | (5) |
| 30 | Anchorage, AK | 60.3 | 177.7 | 4.5 | -3.6% | 5 |
| 31 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 59.5 | 268.3 | 5.8 | 7.5% | 23 |
| 32 | Santa Rosa, CA | 58.7 | 193.7 | 2.7 | 3.8% | (3) |
| 33 | Columbia, SC | 57.4 | 375.8 | 5.5 | -3.0% | (2) |
| 34 | Akron, OH | 56.9 | 332.2 | 3.9 | -5.6% | (6) |
| 35 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 55.8 | 239.1 | 3.1 | 6.9% | (10) |
| 36 | Mobile, AL | 55.6 | 174.8 | 2.0 | -11.6% | 0 |
| 37 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 55.4 | 486.6 | 11.1 | -2.9% | (2) |
| 38 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 53.9 | 225.6 | 2.8 | 7.7% | (36) |
| 39 | Elgin, IL Met Div | 52.6 | 249.9 | 3.7 | -11.9% | not ranked |
| 40 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | 52.6 | 242.1 | 2.9 | -23.0% | 17 |
| 41 | Montgomery, AL | 51.1 | 170.3 | 2.2 | 1.6% | (11) |
| 42 | Boulder, CO | 51.0 | 178.3 | 8.2 | -6.5% | (2) |
| 43 | Corpus Christi, TX | 49.0 | 196.6 | 2.1 | -8.7% | (1) |
| 44 | Gary, IN Met Div | 48.6 | 276.5 | 2.1 | -10.1% | (18) |
| 45 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 47.8 | 172.2 | 1.7 | -15.0% | 8 |
| 46 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 47.6 | 227.8 | 1.9 | -12.3% | 13 |
| 47 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 47.6 | 212.1 | 2.1 | -3.1% | 33 |
| 48 | Worcester, MA-CT NECTA | 47.3 | 277.1 | 3.4 | 0.0% | (34) |
| 49 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 47.2 | 168.8 | 1.5 | -6.3% | 22 |
| 50 | Framingham, MA NECTA Div | 47.1 | 171.0 | 5.3 | -5.9% | 1 |
| 51 | Kansas City, KS | 47.0 | 458.8 | 15.1 | -8.3% | 1 |
| 52 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 46.7 | 205.5 | 1.6 | -10.9% | 22 |
| 53 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 45.8 | 199.8 | 1.9 | -25.3% | 34 |
| 54 | Urban Honolulu, HI | 45.6 | 467.2 | 7.2 | -0.9% | (18) |
| 55 | Delaware County, PA | 44.6 | 232.4 | 2.6 | -12.4% | not ranked |
| 56 | Colorado Springs, CO | 43.8 | 263.9 | 6.8 | -3.3% | 0 |
| 57 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | 43.6 | 354.7 | 5.0 | -10.2% | 19 |
| 58 | Springfield, MA-CT NECTA | 43.3 | 324.0 | 3.7 | -7.5% | (43) |
| 59 | Ogden-Clearfield, UT | 43.0 | 234.7 | 2.1 | -4.5% | (20) |
| 60 | Wichita, KS | 42.6 | 294.5 | 4.5 | -18.2% | 18 |
| 61 | Lancaster, PA | 41.6 | 240.5 | 3.1 | -13.1% | 0 |
| 62 | Toledo, OH | 41.6 | 298.3 | 3.1 | -1.1% | (25) |
| 63 | Lafayette, LA | 40.7 | 221.8 | 2.9 | -9.4% | 0 |
| 64 | Reno, NV | 40.4 | 204.2 | 2.0 | -16.7% | 25 |
| 65 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 40.4 | 457.2 | 8.3 | -10.1% | (10) |
| 66 | Reading, PA | 39.3 | 176.7 | 1.3 | -4.9% | 4 |
| 67 | Albuquerque, NM | 39.3 | 380.3 | 7.8 | -15.9% | 2 |
| 68 | Bakersfield, CA | 39.2 | 261.7 | 2.3 | -13.6% | (21) |
| 69 | Fort Wayne, IN | 37.6 | 212.9 | 3.0 | -8.2% | (26) |
| 70 | Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA | 37.2 | 193.8 | 3.1 | -16.2% | 11 |
| 71 | Trenton, NJ | 37.0 | 252.9 | 5.0 | -18.0% | (27) |
| 72 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 36.3 | 183.0 | 2.4 | -18.2% | (24) |
| 73 | Tulsa, OK | 35.5 | 445.6 | 7.5 | -11.4% | (6) |
| 74 | Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS | 35.1 | 152.0 | 1.5 | -6.3% | not ranked |
| 75 | Syracuse, NY | 33.4 | 318.1 | 4.5 | -12.4% | (9) |
| 76 | Peoria, IL | 32.9 | 178.0 | 2.2 | -10.8% | (11) |
| 77 | Tucson, AZ | 31.6 | 370.8 | 4.1 | -8.9% | (27) |
| 78 | Calvert-Charles-Prince George's, MD | 31.6 | 387.7 | 4.9 | -2.0% | (16) |
| 79 | Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA | 31.4 | 226.2 | 1.9 | -20.8% | 9 |
| 80 | Modesto, CA | 31.0 | 163.0 | 0.9 | -25.0% | 11 |
| 81 | York-Hanover, PA | 29.4 | 180.1 | 1.7 | -17.7% | (49) |
| 82 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 28.4 | 330.1 | 4.5 | -22.0% | (24) |
| 83 | Dayton, OH | 28.0 | 374.5 | 8.4 | -21.5% | 3 |
| 84 | Baltimore City, MD | 26.9 | 365.1 | 3.6 | -12.1% | 0 |
| 85 | Roanoke, VA | 26.9 | 161.4 | 1.7 | -15.0% | (8) |
| 86 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 26.6 | 347.8 | 6.7 | -14.9% | (18) |
| 87 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 26.2 | 184.6 | 2.6 | -21.2% | (8) |
| 88 | Salem, OR | 25.9 | 151.5 | 1.0 | -23.1% | 49 |
| 89 | Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Met Div | 24.3 | 399.2 | 3.6 | -18.2% | (14) |
| 90 | Rockford, IL | 23.0 | 150.9 | 1.4 | -22.2% | 68 |
| 91 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 22.5 | 262.5 | 3.7 | -29.9% | (1) |
| 92 | Evansville, IN-KY | 21.7 | 157.9 | 1.8 | -24.3% | (10) |
| 93 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 20.2 | 345.7 | 6.6 | -20.9% | (10) |
| 94 | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 20.2 | 166.6 | 2.2 | -27.5% | (22) |
| 95 | Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Met Div | 16.6 | 352.1 | 4.1 | -23.3% | (10) |
| 96 | Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 15.9 | 183.5 | 2.0 | -52.0% | (47) |
| 97 | New Haven, CT NECTA | 13.3 | 282.4 | 4.0 | -32.2% | (5) |
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