SLC, Provo-Orem make top 10 in job growth, report says

The Salt Lake City and Provo-Orem metropolitan areas are among the top job growth locales in the country, according to an evaluation by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The Salt Lake City metro area will see a 3.18 percent increase in growth in 2013, putting it 8th in the ranking among the nation's 363 metropolitan areas, according to the report released Monday by IHS Global Insight for the mayor's conference.

But Provo-Orem bested that with a 4.4 percent job growth rate that gave it a national ranking of 5th.

Utah, in general, is doing better than much of the nation economically, said Marty Carpenter of the Salt Lake Chamber.

Utah has a diverse economy, although it is based in agriculture, mining and energy, Carpenter said. But the state, and Salt Lake and Utah counties, specifically, are excelling in hi-tech industries and tourism.

"We're not dependent on one sector," he said.

One third of metro areas — some 119 — showed no job growth or negative growth in 2013. That's up from 73 metros in that category in 2012.

csmart@sltrib.com