Best performing Arkansas metros
The Fayetteville area climbed 17 spots in the 2011 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index which measures economic and job growth.
The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area was ranked 26th on the 2011 list compared to 43rd in 2010.
Each year, the national independent think tank ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. In most years, these give a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics, according to the Institute.
Other Arkansas areas to make the list of Largest Metros include Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway which made a major jump from 93rd to 19th and Ft. Smith which fell 10 spots to 160th.
Also of note, four Arkansas areas made the Institute’s list of Smallest Metros including Texarkana (35), Jonesboro (66), Hot Springs (81) and Pine Bluff (164).
Top 50 Largest Metros List
1. San Antonio, TX
2. El Paso, TX
3. Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
4. Austin-Round Rock, TX
5. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX
6. Salt Lake City, UT
7. Anchorage, AK
8. Huntsville, AL
9. Provo-Orem, UT
10. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, WA
11. Charleston-North Charleston, SC
12. Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA
13. Cedar Rapids, IA
14. Raleigh-Cary, NC
15. Ogden-Clearfield, UT
16. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
17. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
18. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
19. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
20. Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX
21. Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD
22. Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
23. Madison, WI
24. Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
25. Lubbock, TX
26. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
27. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA
28. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
29. Columbus, GA-AL
30. Clarksville, TN-KY
31. Baltimore-Towson, MD
32. York-Hanover, PA
33. Durham, NC
34. Mobile, AL
35. Lincoln, NE
36. Fayetteville, NC
37. Pittsburgh, PA
38. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
39. Trenton-Ewing, NJ
40. Peabody, MA
41. Worcester, MA
42. Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
43. Honolulu, HI
44. Denver-Aurora, CO
45. Lexington-Fayette, KY
46. Corpus Christi, TX
47. Bakersfield, CA
48. Charleston, WV
49. Philadelphia, PA
50. Oklahoma City, OK
