The Seattle metro region jumped 10 spots to No. 24 in the latest “Best Performing Cities” report from the nonpartisan nonprofit Milken Institute, released Tuesday.
The ranking of 403 U.S. metropolitan areas is based on 13 economic metrics, including job growth, wage growth, and high-tech impact. The rankings are divided into large and small cities — and a number of Pacific Northwest localities performed well.
- The Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area jumped from a No. 34 ranking in 2023. The region took a dive after reaching the No. 6 spot in 2022.
- Olympia-Tumwater, Wash., made the top 10 for large cities, jumping from No. 42 last year all the way to No. 9.
- Idaho had a strong showing across the report, with Boise at No. 3 among large cities and Idaho Falls (No. 1), Coeur d’Alene (No. 2), Twin Falls (No. 5) and Pocatello (No. 7) dominating among small cities.
Austin, Texas, took the top spot among large cities for the first time since 2013 — a year when Seattle also ranked sixth. The new report cites Austin’s “robust and growing technology sector” that has produced “remarkable growth in employment and wages.”
Idaho Falls holds onto the top spot from last year on the strength of robust labor market growth. The report cites the strength of the Idaho National Laboratory, one of the city’s main employers.
The report divides the large and small cities into five tiers based on relative performance, with top-ranking cities in Tier 1 and bottom-ranking cities in Tier 5.
- Wenatchee, Wash., (No. 8); Bellingham, Wash., (No. 12); Longview, Wash., (No. 42); and Walla Walla, Wash., (No. 49) were ranked in the small cities Tier 2 field.
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Wash., (No. 76); and Yakima, Wash., (No. 103) were ranked among small Tier 3 cities.
- Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash., (No. 63); Kennewick-Richland, Wash., (No. 64); Tacoma-Lakewood, Wash., (No. 83); and Spokane, Wash., (No. 111) were among the large Tier 3 city rankings.
