Hartland Forward has released their second annual rankings of America's most economically dynamic cities in this year's Most Dynamic Metropolitans report. We are excited and proud to share that that Greeley was ranked #8 among the top 30 nationwide. The City of Greeley anchors the Greeley MSA.
Our Most Dynamic Metropolitan Index and the analysis in this report provide objective insight into the communities providing economic opportunity for their residents, separating high performers from the low.
The report analyzes several performance-based metrics, including job growth, average annual earnings, GDP gains, total jobs at new businesses, and employee educational attainment to develop the rankings of America's metro regions. In most cases, the most recent data available was pre-pandemic, providing a robust picture of how city economies were faring heading into the current crisis.
These new rankings are critical to understanding which cities were high-performing heading into the pandemic and whether they are in a good position to weather the economic storm or be vulnerable to the pandemic's longer-term negative impacts. This report contains some valuable insights on how regions can harness their strengths to boost their future economic recovery.
Here's a quick look at the top ten most dynamic metro areas:
- Midland, Texas
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.
- Provo-Orem, Utah
- Boulder, Colo.
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif.
- Austin, Texas
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.
- Greeley, Colo.
- Naples-Immokalee-Macro Island, Fla.
- St. George, Utah
It appears from the data that the middle of the country may be well-positioned to move up in these rankings post-pandemic as workers seek lower costs of living, greater access to raw materials and lower startup costs. Though next year's rankings will incorporate data from the pandemic and account for cities with the industries most impacted by the crisis, we are confident cities that focus on fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems and developing a compelling narrative about what makes their region special will thrive.
Smaller metropolitan areas located closest to large metropolitan areas that are exhibiting stronger economic growth share in that prosperity. Stronger economic linkages create a spillover effect. Access to sophisticated business services, adjacent angel and venture capital availability, supply chain relationships and numerous other interactions explain the advantages of proximity.
For more information on Heartland Forward, please visit HeartlandForward.org, where you can download the full report.