Medium Cities Ranking - 2009 New Geography Best Cities For Job Growth

Read how we pick the best cities.






2009
Size
Rank
Area
2009
Weighted
INDEX
2008 Nonfarm Emplymt (1000s)
Size 2009
Size
Movement
Overall Rank 2009
1 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX                     87.6
221.1
M
3
7
2 Tulsa, OK                     85.1
436.6
M
36
10
3 Lafayette, LA                     84.1
151.2
M
7
14
4 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC                     82.3
291.0
M
7
19
5 Kansas City, KS                     81.1
446.4
M
11
22
6 Corpus Christi, TX                     80.8
182.8
M
28
23
7 Baton Rouge, LA                     79.2
377.4
M
10
27
8 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA                     77.6
180.1
M
14
33
9 Anchorage, AK                     76.7
169.7
M
43
35
10 Mobile, AL                     74.7
183.3
M
34
37
11 El Paso, TX                     74.6
278.8
M
15
39
12 Huntsville, AL                     74.6
211.6
M
-7
40
13 Bakersfield, CA                     71.1
237.5
M
-4
50
14 Provo-Orem, UT                     70.1
188.2
M
-13
54
15 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC                     69.4
295.5
M
-9
58
16 Framingham, MA  NECTA Division                     68.7
159.5
M
34
62
17 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA                     68.2
321.9
M
-2
65
18 Peoria, IL                     67.6
189.8
M
3
69
19 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO                     67.1
207.0
M
1
71
20 Savannah, GA                     66.8
157.6
M
-17
73
21 Boulder, CO                     65.9
166.9
M
11
79
22 Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division                     65.8
277.6
M
-20
81
23 Wichita, KS                     63.8
311.0
M
1
88
24 Spokane, WA                     63.7
215.9
M
-10
91
25 York-Hanover, PA                     63.7
182.9
M
-2
92
26 Albuquerque, NM                     63.0
393.5
M
9
94
27 Salem, OR                     61.4
150.1
M
-2
100
28 Ogden-Clearfield, UT                     61.1
198.0
M
-20
101
29 Springfield, MO                     60.9
197.6
M
-16
102
30 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL                     60.0
189.3
M
40
105
31 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR                     59.7
344.5
M
-3
106
32 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC                     59.4
314.7
M
-14
107
33 Lincoln, NE                     58.9
172.4
M
15
109
34 Charleston, WV                     57.5
151.5
M
106
114
35 Columbia, SC                     56.6
362.1
M
-16
116
36 Montgomery, AL                     55.6
176.9
M
-5
123
37 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX                     55.2
163.1
M
3
127
38 Syracuse, NY                     54.6
325.0
M
39
129
39 Trenton-Ewing, NJ                     54.4
238.4
M
19
130
40 Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division                     51.1
394.5
M
29
148
41 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ                     50.5
340.8
M
20
151
42 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA                     50.1
171.9
M
14
152
43 Madison, WI                     49.2
343.6
M
24
158
44 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA                     48.7
327.1
M
30
159
45 Fresno, CA                     48.4
297.9
M
0
161
46 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY                     48.4
254.8
M
37
162
47 New Haven, CT NECTA                     48.0
277.2
M
32
166
48 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC                     47.9
214.0
M
15
167
49 Asheville, NC                     47.6
172.3
M
-42
168
50 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY                     46.5
446.9
M
31
177
51 Lancaster, PA                     46.1
235.2
M
6
182
52 Jackson, MS                     45.7
258.9
M
-3
184
53 Gary, IN Metropolitan Division                     45.4
279.0
M
19
186
54 Chattanooga, TN-GA                     45.3
244.3
M
5
188
55 Colorado Springs, CO                     45.1
254.2
M
-14
190
56 Boise City-Nampa, ID                     44.8
261.6
M
-44
191
57 Winston-Salem, NC                     44.8
214.7
M
-24
192
58 Lexington-Fayette, KY                     44.8
253.6
M
-16
194
59 Knoxville, TN                     44.6
330.1
M
-20
195
60 Roanoke, VA                     44.5
160.9
M
20
196
61 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL                     44.1
205.7
M
-10
200
62 Tallahassee, FL                     42.9
175.3
M
-25
202
63 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA                     42.8
259.2
M
15
203
64 Eugene-Springfield, OR                     42.6
151.7
M
-28
206
65 Green Bay, WI                     42.0
166.8
M
11
212
66 Reading, PA                     41.5
171.8
M
7
219
67 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA                     41.4
192.4
M
-1
221
68 Tucson, AZ                     41.4
374.1
M
-22
222
69 Akron, OH                     41.2
334.0
M
-5
225
70 Worcester, MA-CT NECTA                     40.7
245.4
M
12
228
71 Stockton, CA                     39.6
204.8
M
-41
233
72 Fort Wayne, IN                     39.5
213.4
M
13
235
73 Calvert-Charles-Prince George's, MD                     39.5
388.1
M
-20
236
74 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA                     39.0
412.8
M
-12
240
75 Springfield, MA-CT NECTA                     37.9
293.2
M
13
245
76 Baltimore City, MD                     36.8
364.0
M
16
256
77 Rockford, IL                     36.1
156.4
M
-30
262
78 Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division                     34.3
345.4
M
-13
272
79 Lansing-East Lansing, MI                     34.2
223.0
M
11
273
80 Modesto, CA                     34.1
153.6
M
-5
274
81 Evansville, IN-KY                     32.5
174.2
M
3
280
82 Canton-Massillon, OH                     31.3
169.8
M
9
284
83 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL                     29.8
208.0
M
-40
291
84 Greensboro-High Point, NC                     28.9
358.0
M
-29
296
85 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL                     27.3
164.6
M
-58
302
86 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI                     24.3
376.2
M
0
310
87 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA                     23.9
283.8
M
0
311
88 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA                     23.9
182.2
M
-28
312
89 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL                     23.4
162.8
M
-35
313
90 Reno-Sparks, NV                     23.4
206.4
M
-61
314
91 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL                     21.4
202.2
M
-20
319
92 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA                     20.7
230.5
M
2
321
93 Ann Arbor, MI                     20.5
193.1
M
2
322
94 Dayton, OH                     20.1
388.8
M
2
323
95 Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, FL                     19.6
262.4
M
-27
325
96 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC                     17.0
154.6
M
-7
327
97 Toledo, OH                     11.8
309.5
M
-4
332
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