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The Best Cities For Jobs
Forbes New Geographer ^ | 05/03/2011 | Joel Kotkin and Michael Shires

Posted on 05/03/2011 6:54:41 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

These may be far from the best of times, but they are no longer the worst. Last year’s annual “Best Cities for Jobs” list was by far the most dismal since we began compiling our rankings almost five years ago. Between 2009 and 2010, only 13 of 397 metropolitan areas experienced any growth at all. For this year’s list, which measured job growth in the period between January 2010 and January 2011, most of the best-performing areas experienced actual employment increases — even if they were modest.

For Forbes’ list of the best cities for jobs, we ranked all 398 current metropolitan statistical areas, based on employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported from November 1999 to January 2011. Rankings are based on recent growth trends, mid-term growth and long-term growth and momentum. We also broke down rankings by size — small, medium and large — since regional economies differ markedly due to their scale.

Reflecting the importance of the war effort in stimulating local economies, command of this year’s best place for jobs was handed to the Army from the Marines. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas, shot up to No. 1 from No. 4, while Jacksonville, N.C., last year’s first-place winner and home to Camp Lejeune, dropped to 19th place.

Once again the best places for jobs tended to be smaller communities where incremental improvements can have a relatively large impact. Eighteen of the top 20 cities on our list were either small (under 150,000 nonfarm jobs) or mid-sized areas (less than 450,000 jobs).

But no place displayed more vibrancy than Texas. The Lone Star State dominated the three size categories, with the No. 1 mid-sized city, El Paso (No. 3 overall, up 22 places from last year) and No.1 large metropolitan area Austin (No. 6 overall)

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bestcities; jobs; unemployment

1 posted on 05/03/2011 6:54:44 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
The Best Big Cities for Jobs

The Best Mid-Sized Cities for Jobs

The Best Small Cities for Jobs
2 posted on 05/03/2011 6:56:35 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (u)
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To: SeekAndFind

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas, shot up to No. 1

Most FREEPERS won’t like that. Those jobs are dirty government workers. YIEKS! /sarc. Although true, government workers are not dirty.


3 posted on 05/03/2011 6:57:13 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: napscoordinator

I have a friend who lives in San Antonio. I think I’ll move there. I notice a disproportionate number of Texas cities rank near or at the top.


4 posted on 05/03/2011 7:01:38 AM PDT by fatnotlazy
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To: napscoordinator

.....Those jobs are dirty government workers......

I would argue that for every non military civilian job on the post, there are several off the base working in businesses that derive much of their sales from direct or indirect support of the base.


5 posted on 05/03/2011 7:03:19 AM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. N.C. D.E. +12 ....( History is a process, not an event ))
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To: fatnotlazy

I have a friend who lives in San Antonio. I think I’ll move there. I notice a disproportionate number of Texas cities rank near or at the top.

You should. Texas is outstanding in so many ways. I would move there if my entire family would move....lol. (parents, brother, sister, etc). My wife and I and the children would move but after 24 years in the military it is nice to be near family.


6 posted on 05/03/2011 7:06:36 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: bert

I would argue that for every non military civilian job on the post, there are several off the base working in businesses that derive much of their sales from direct or indirect support of the base.

I agree. But if we start cutting the government workers as many here hope happens, that will definitely affect those outside of the fence too.


7 posted on 05/03/2011 7:07:52 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: SeekAndFind
Jacksonville, N.C., last year’s first-place winner and home to Camp Lejeune
I was stationed at Lejeune in the late 60s and there wasn't much going on outside the town.
I returned in 2006 and while 95% of Lejeune was the same, the development outside J'ville was stunning.
8 posted on 05/03/2011 7:08:53 AM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: bert
I would argue that for every non military civilian job on the post, there are several off the base working in businesses that derive much of their sales from direct or indirect support of the base.

Ah, the Keynesian "Multiplier effect".

9 posted on 05/03/2011 7:18:53 AM PDT by kosciusko51
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To: SeekAndFind

job growth bump for later...........


10 posted on 05/03/2011 7:23:54 AM PDT by indthkr
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To: SeekAndFind

Dang, just list them please. Forbes won’t mind.
Their lists take so dang long to go through on a middling PC.


11 posted on 05/03/2011 7:28:26 AM PDT by BonRad (Ut Roma cadit, sic omnis terra -As Rome falls, so the entire world)
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To: SeekAndFind

El Paso in the Mid-sized category? I believe that El Paso is on the front line of the illegal invasion and in plain view and within weapon range of the growing drug-terrorist mexican murder squads. It isn’t the same place my parents brought me to in 1951 while my dad was stationed there and I don’t think I’d want to have my grandkids living there.


12 posted on 05/03/2011 7:45:10 AM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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