Best U.S. Business Cities According To Forbes: Top Spot Not Raleigh, NC Anymore
Wondering where you can find the best places to do business in the United States? New U.S. business city rankings released Wednesday shuffled a few standards out of their spot as other towns got a promotion.
Provo, Utah, home of Brigham Young University, rocked Raleigh, North Carolina out of its place as the best U.S. business city in the Forbes ranking. Provo is the third largest city in Utah, and is located about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, notes Reuters. Recent and robust job growth and a low crime rate earned the city the top honor on the Forbes business banking list.
“Provo had job growth of 3 percent in 2011, which was third in the United States, and they ranked tenth-lowest in crime,” said Mike Ozanian of Forbes, adding, “Brigham Young University provides a stabilizing presence to their economy.”
The university in Provo boasts the third largest enrollment among private colleges in the country and had 13 start-ups in 2010.
Raleigh, North Carolina, has consistently been ranked in the top three of the Forbes list since 2003, but fell from its no. 1 spot because the cost of living rose 5% over the national average. Still, it maintains a top 3 spot thanks to a growing population and a projected 2.9% job growth. Fort Collins, Colorado, Des Moines, Iowa, and Denver, Colorado rounded out the top five on the list.
The Forbes list also includes the bottom 10 cities for business. Three of the bottom five are in California. Among them, Stockton, which filed for bankruptcy Tuesday.
Do you live in one of the best U.S. business cities? Do you live in one of the worst?
