WASHINGTON – For the second straight year, the Washington metro area has topped the list of “Best Cities for Business.”
In it’s fifth year, the Marketwatch study looks at how much business is concentrated in a region and whether those companies are helping to grow the local economy.
Marketwatch notes that even though politicians may be at each other’s throats, the D.C. region’s economy is humming along.
“The nation’s capital has it all: a plentiful supply of companies large and small, a strong economy, low jobless rates and, of course, a huge governmental infrastructure to lean on during the hard times,” says Marketwatch.
In determining how well a city supports its business environment, Marketwatch looked at the concentration of businesses within a metro area and whether those companies are helping that region’s economy.
The government employs about 12 percent of the region’s work force. A decade ago, the government employed closer to 60 percent.
Washington ranks in the top 25 in growth of jobs and personal income, and has managed to absorb a large influx of residents, Marketwatch says.
The one complaint listed by businesses in the area, Marketwatch says, was the amount of time wasted in commuting.
The study lists 102 cities. At the bottom of the list is Stockton, Calif.
The Top 10 “Best Cities for Business”
- Washington
- Boston
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Oklahoma City
- Salt Lake City
- Austin, Texas
- New York
- San Antonio
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