Conducted each spring, this is the fourth year Primacy and Worldwide ERC have partnered on the study. This year’s city size categories of large, medium and small used updated population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which adjusted the category sizes to 1.3 million and above, 600,000 – 1.3 million, and 360,000 – 600,000, respectively. Additionally, the 2008 study placed a special emphasis on both the housing market and economy, which continue to impact the relocation industry and an employer’s ability to transfer employees.
“Our members know that there are many factors that lead to a successful relocation,” said Cris Collie, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide ERC. “Quality of life issues are increasingly important to transferees, and the employers who move them are recognizing those requirements. Being able to meet the needs of the entire family will be increasingly critical as the labor market grows tighter.”
Several new categories were added to this year’s rankings, including recent job growth for 2007, percentage of nearby top-ranked colleges, average in-state tuition for four-year public colleges, percentage of population growth since 2000, amount of pediatricians per 100,000 population, and separate sales and income tax categories. Another new category is the green living index, which measures environmental incentives and policies, the availability of biofuel, wind power generation, and the amount of energy-efficient buildings.
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Large Metro Areas | ||||
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Pop. 1,300,000+ | ||||
| 1. | Pittsburgh | PA | ||
| 2. | Indianapolis/Carmel | IN | ||
| 3. | Austin/Round Rock | TX | ||
| 4. | Fort Worth/Arlington | TX | ||
| 5. | San Antonio | TX | ||
| 6. | Cambridge/Newton/Framingham | MA | ||
| 7. | Columbus | OH | ||
| 8. | Kansas City | MO/KS | ||
| 9. | Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington | MN/WI | ||
| 10. | Cincinnati/Middletown | OH/KY/IN | ||
A full story can be found at BusinessWire.
