There are many different useful indexes, rankings, and data tools that allow one to measure a unique aspect of a given market, and compare market to market.

One of the measures we rely on to assess a market is the Best Performing Cities Index derived and published by the Milken Institute, a non profit economic and demographic think tank.

If you’re not familiar with the Milken Institute, spend a bit of time on their website.  They offer an amazing array of data and commentary, and cover a lot of ground.  It’s a great place to challenge your mind and stretch your perspectives, as well as garner all sorts of market and economic insights that don’t always make the headlines. 

With regard to their Best Performing Cities Index, published every two years for both large and small markets, they rank the MSAs that by their assessment are demonstrating the healthiest economic performance and creating the most jobs.  They assess jobs, job creation, wage and salary information as well as technology growth.  While not perfect (no assessment tool is) their rankings are almost always spot on.   Yes, there has been a lot of economic and housing water to pass under the bridge since the rankings were derived, but the data is still useful.  The cities are displayed in a sortable table on Milken’s web site under the “Indexes” tab. 

Here are the larger markets with the best Milken scores –

1. Ocala, FL
2. Wilmington, NC
3. Riverside / San Bernardino, CA
4. Phoenix (MSA), AZ
5. Orlando – Kissimmee, FL

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the worst/ lowest Milken large city rankings. 

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