In the Milken Institute’s annual ranking of the top-performing cities in the United States, Colorado shines once again, with four of our cities counting themselves among the top 25 large metro areas nationwide. Only California, with six top-25 spots, has more cities in this upper echelon of highly ranked urban areas.
Colorado’s top performers this year include
- Greeley, ranked 9th
- Fort Collins, ranked 14th
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, ranked 16th
- Boulder, ranked 22nd
Greeley, which jumped five spots from last year’s rankings, was praised for its job growth, with study authors noting that “Oil extraction from the nearby Niobrara shale has created significant new employment in the five years ending in 2014, attracting investment to the region.” Among the individual categories used to compare cities, Greeley placed first in the nation for
- Job growth from 2009 to 2014
- Job growth from 2013 to 2014
- Wage growth from 2012 to 2013
Fort Collins, which gained three spots from the 2014 survey, was ranked the 14th-best-performing city in the country. According to the study, “Colorado State University helps develop an educated workforce,” emphasizing that forty percent of Fort Collins residents over the age of 25 hold at least a bachelor’s degree. The report singled out Fort Collins’s high-tech sector, which it described as “large and diverse.”
The Milken study also pointed to growth in the Fort Collins housing market, observing that construction employment increased by 10 percent in 2014 and is expected to return to 2008 levels in 2016.
Denver and Boulder received accolades for hosting a well-educated population that complements knowledge-based industries requiring a highly skilled workforce. Boulder was named a “lower-cost alternative for Silicon Valley companies looking to expand or relocate,” while the Denver metro area was praised for having gained more than 1,500 jobs in the air transportation sector. Denver is now home to the country’s third-largest market for this sector.
Colorado is a great place to do business and a great place to call home. Our Journey Homes communities offer high quality homes at prices you can afford. If you’re ready to learn why so many Front Range residents choose us, please contact Journey Homes at 970-460-8002 in Northern Colorado or 719-648-2914 in Colorado Springs.
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Written by: Bob Golba, Sales Manager
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