For the second year in a row, Texas metropolitan areas dominated the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities index, with the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area at No. 1. A business-friendly climate, a vibrant tech industry, and little exposure to the housing bubble and the financial services industry helped keep Texas cities and many of their peers on stable ground during the economic downturn.
The 2010 top performers (with 2009 rankings) among the 200 largest metros are:
- Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX (2)
- Austin-Round Rock, TX (1)
- Huntsville, AL (8)
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX (4)
- Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, WA (n.a.)
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (25)
- Raleigh-Cary, NC (10)
- Anchorage, AK (40)
- El Paso, TX (14)
- Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX (5)
