This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For yet another year, Utah cities have outperformed most of the rest of America.
According to the Milken Institute's 2013 rankings, the Provo-Orem area was the second best-performing city in the U.S., just behind the Austin metro area. Salt Lake City wasn't far behind, taking the fifth spot on the list. San Francisco and San Jose round out the top five.
Both of the Utah cities on the list also rose in 2013; Provo moved up an impressive five spots, while Salt Lake City jump up one spot.
The rankings are based on an array of criteria, including job growth and wage growth, as well as high tech industry. The institute reports that the technology and energy sectors were among "the biggest forces behind America's booming cities." The Milken Institute is a non-profit think tank that studies economic policy.
Richard Florida at The Atlantic Cities — a part of The Atlantic magazine — calls both Salt Lake City and Provo "high tech hubs" in his report on the rankings. He also points out that there is a connection between talent and economic performance, with cities seeing more success when they have more college grads and creative workers.
— Jim Dalrymple II
Twitter: @jimmycdii