Area Development magazine has ranked 365 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to determine the “Leading Locations for 2012.
The results show that even amid the recessionary gloom, there were blooms of prosperity, and there are some places that have gotten back on their feet faster than others. The analysis of Leading Locations for economic and job growth is informed by two dozen different economic and workforce indicators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. It ranks the 365 MSAs in a variety of ways, including an overall ranking that crunches 23 indicators, plus separate rankings of “Prime Workforce Growth,” “Economic Strength,” and “Recession-Busting” factors. In overall rankings, Columbia ranked No. 10 (2nd in Top 20 Midwest Cities and 3rd in Top 50 Mid-Size Cities), Jefferson City No. 39 and St. Joseph No. 56 in this year’s list.