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.
| 2015 MSA Prof & Bus Svcs Midsized MSA Ranking | Area | 2015 Prof & Bus Svcs Weighted INDEX | 2014 Prof & Bus Svcs Emplmt (1000s) | Total Prof & Bus Svcs Emplmt Growth Rate 2013-2014 | Total Prof & Bus Svcs Emplmt Cum Growth 2009-2014 |
2015 MSA Prof & Bus Svcs Overall Ranking |
| 1 | Provo-Orem, UT | 67.3 | 29.6 | 11.5% | 46.5% | 9 |
| 2 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 64.7 | 40.0 | 8.3% | 32.6% | 17 |
| 3 | Reading, PA | 62.6 | 23.5 | 7.6% | 26.6% | 21 |
| 4 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 61.8 | 45.7 | 6.8% | 36.6% | 26 |
| 5 | Fresno, CA | 61.3 | 33.5 | 12.1% | 24.9% | 27 |
| 6 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 59.9 | 21.5 | 9.1% | 24.3% | 35 |
| 7 | Ogden-Clearfield, UT | 59.8 | 28.6 | 5.2% | 35.6% | 36 |
| 8 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 58.5 | 15.7 | 13.5% | 21.8% | 40 |
| 9 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 58.5 | 30.5 | 5.7% | 26.4% | 41 |
| 10 | Springfield, MO | 55.8 | 25.5 | 6.0% | 37.2% | 49 |
| 11 | Lancaster, PA | 55.7 | 23.9 | 7.0% | 26.1% | 50 |
| 12 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 53.7 | 39.1 | -4.2% | 30.2% | 55 |
| 13 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | 53.3 | 51.8 | 8.3% | 22.5% | 57 |
| 14 | Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | 52.0 | 68.5 | 3.9% | 31.3% | 65 |
| 15 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 51.0 | 45.7 | 4.5% | 23.5% | 69 |
| 16 | Modesto, CA | 51.0 | 14.8 | 8.8% | 13.0% | 70 |
| 17 | Knoxville, TN | 50.2 | 61.1 | 6.0% | 20.9% | 79 |
| 18 | Rockford, IL | 49.8 | 16.7 | 8.9% | 16.3% | 83 |
| 19 | Savannah, GA | 49.7 | 20.2 | 6.1% | 19.8% | 85 |
| 20 | York-Hanover, PA | 48.3 | 20.8 | 3.1% | 31.6% | 98 |
| 21 | Wichita, KS | 45.6 | 33.6 | 3.9% | 18.4% | 113 |
| 22 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 45.5 | 49.2 | 5.0% | 22.4% | 114 |
| 23 | Gary, IN Metro Div | 43.7 | 23.4 | 2.3% | 20.0% | 126 |
| 24 | Madison, WI | 42.4 | 48.5 | 2.1% | 21.7% | 136 |
| 25 | Elgin, IL Metro Div | 42.0 | 35.5 | -3.5% | 32.0% | 138 |
| 26 | Baton Rouge, LA | 41.5 | 47.7 | 6.0% | 13.8% | 142 |
| 27 | Winston-Salem, NC | 41.2 | 34.8 | 5.2% | 23.1% | 146 |
| 28 | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 40.7 | 22.0 | 4.3% | 16.6% | 149 |
| 29 | Asheville, NC | 39.9 | 17.4 | 0.4% | 21.3% | 152 |
| 30 | Baltimore City, MD | 39.8 | 47.2 | 0.5% | 23.0% | 155 |
| 31 | Springfield, MA-CT NECTA | 39.1 | 25.7 | 3.6% | 16.8% | 161 |
| 32 | Ann Arbor, MI | 38.8 | 27.7 | 5.7% | 9.8% | 165 |
| 33 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 38.5 | 15.0 | 5.6% | 11.7% | 168 |
| 34 | Montgomery, AL | 38.3 | 21.9 | 6.0% | 11.5% | 169 |
| 35 | New Haven, CT NECTA | 38.2 | 30.3 | 2.4% | 19.8% | 172 |
| 36 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | 38.0 | 27.7 | 3.5% | 27.8% | 173 |
| 37 | Salem, OR | 37.7 | 12.6 | 2.2% | 9.3% | 177 |
| 38 | Evansville, IN-KY | 37.5 | 19.0 | 4.0% | 13.6% | 179 |
| 39 | Jackson, MS | 37.5 | 32.8 | 2.5% | 20.1% | 180 |
| 40 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 37.4 | 28.2 | 8.3% | 5.6% | 182 |
| 41 | Tacoma-Lakewood, WA Metro Div | 37.1 | 25.6 | 3.9% | 8.5% | 186 |
| 42 | Santa Rosa, CA | 36.8 | 20.1 | 1.2% | 11.2% | 188 |
| 43 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 36.0 | 18.2 | 2.6% | 12.6% | 194 |
| 44 | Tallahassee, FL | 36.0 | 19.7 | 5.3% | 9.4% | 195 |
| 45 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 35.7 | 24.1 | 4.8% | 15.5% | 199 |
| 46 | Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metro Div | 35.2 | 68.3 | -1.2% | 24.8% | 202 |
| 47 | Boulder, CO | 35.0 | 32.5 | 0.4% | 18.3% | 205 |
| 48 | Delaware County, PA | 34.8 | 31.9 | 2.6% | 16.0% | 209 |
| 49 | Dayton, OH | 34.3 | 49.6 | 3.7% | 11.3% | 213 |
| 50 | Framingham, MA NECTA Div | 33.9 | 35.1 | 3.2% | 11.4% | 215 |
| 51 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 33.3 | 33.0 | 3.9% | 8.7% | 218 |
| 52 | Tulsa, OK | 33.2 | 59.7 | 3.9% | 9.9% | 219 |
| 53 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 32.7 | 23.3 | 0.6% | 14.8% | 222 |
| 54 | Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metro Div | 31.7 | 54.6 | 1.3% | 11.2% | 228 |
| 55 | Columbia, SC | 31.4 | 47.4 | -3.3% | 23.3% | 231 |
| 56 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 30.5 | 44.9 | 0.4% | 17.0% | 236 |
| 57 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 28.9 | 48.2 | -2.4% | 14.8% | 245 |
| 58 | Reno, NV | 28.9 | 27.6 | 1.2% | 9.1% | 246 |
| 59 | Calvert-Charles-Prince George's, MD | 28.9 | 47.8 | 5.3% | 2.1% | 247 |
| 60 | Worcester, MA-CT NECTA | 28.7 | 26.8 | 4.4% | 4.4% | 249 |
| 61 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 27.8 | 28.3 | -1.6% | 14.3% | 252 |
| 62 | Fort Wayne, IN | 27.4 | 20.9 | 3.5% | 6.3% | 254 |
| 63 | Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 27.2 | 17.8 | 1.9% | 5.7% | 257 |
| 64 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 26.9 | 15.6 | -1.5% | 11.5% | 258 |
| 65 | Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA | 26.8 | 23.3 | -0.3% | 15.5% | 259 |
| 66 | Toledo, OH | 26.2 | 34.4 | -4.5% | 12.1% | 263 |
| 67 | Trenton, NJ | 25.7 | 38.4 | 1.5% | 10.1% | 269 |
| 68 | Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA | 25.6 | 26.5 | -0.7% | 13.4% | 270 |
| 69 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 25.6 | 21.5 | 0.5% | 8.8% | 273 |
| 70 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 25.1 | 23.2 | -1.4% | 13.2% | 274 |
| 71 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 24.3 | 29.9 | 4.7% | -6.9% | 280 |
| 72 | Lafayette, LA | 23.8 | 22.9 | -2.3% | 15.6% | 283 |
| 73 | Akron, OH | 23.6 | 50.2 | 0.2% | 8.4% | 285 |
| 74 | Colorado Springs, CO | 23.3 | 41.7 | 1.2% | 1.1% | 289 |
| 75 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 23.0 | 36.9 | 0.6% | 5.7% | 290 |
| 76 | Tucson, AZ | 22.8 | 50.4 | 0.3% | 7.2% | 292 |
| 77 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA | 22.5 | 65.4 | 0.6% | 7.4% | 294 |
| 78 | Bakersfield, CA | 21.4 | 25.7 | 0.4% | 9.7% | 299 |
| 79 | Roanoke, VA | 21.3 | 21.2 | 0.8% | 4.4% | 301 |
| 80 | Boise City, ID | 19.6 | 40.1 | -2.4% | 5.4% | 308 |
| 81 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 19.5 | 36.0 | -1.0% | 4.7% | 309 |
| 82 | Huntsville, AL | 19.2 | 49.7 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 311 |
| 83 | Albuquerque, NM | 19.2 | 57.7 | 1.1% | -1.7% | 312 |
| 84 | Lincoln, NE | 18.8 | 18.3 | -2.8% | 7.2% | 316 |
| 85 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 18.2 | 43.9 | -2.2% | 4.4% | 319 |
| 86 | Green Bay, WI | 18.1 | 20.1 | -2.0% | 3.4% | 320 |
| 87 | Syracuse, NY | 17.6 | 33.1 | -0.2% | 1.2% | 322 |
| 88 | El Paso, TX | 17.5 | 31.2 | -1.9% | -1.4% | 323 |
| 89 | Corpus Christi, TX | 17.4 | 15.7 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 324 |
| 90 | Mobile, AL | 15.9 | 21.2 | -2.0% | 3.4% | 335 |
| 91 | Anchorage, AK | 13.7 | 20.6 | -4.9% | 4.6% | 340 |
| 92 | Peoria, IL | 10.6 | 20.5 | -1.6% | -2.2% | 351 |
| 93 | Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS | 7.4 | 15.3 | -6.9% | -5.4% | 359 |
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