The Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area is No. 1 in the nation for its growing economy. 1 place. „Top Metro Destinations of 2023” report Area development magazine.
The publication, aimed at executives at large manufacturing companies and site selectors, compared more than 380 cities across the country, using economic factors such as unemployment rates, gross domestic product (GDP) and job growth in certain industries.
„It’s basically aggregating this data, analyzing it and then aggregating this data,” said Keith Bowers, director of the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality. „It ranks us in the size of the borough, the geographic area and overall … it’s the highest honor we’ve gotten as far as we’ve done.”
Here’s how Tallahassee ranked:
- No. 1 – Type of economic strength in the United States
- No. 2 – Medium-sized metro locations category
- Number 4 – South Atlantic Regional Type
- No. 9 – Overall metro locations compared to the rest of the US
Bowers said the publication’s target audience represents a cross-section of industries that may be expanding, relocating or exploring opportunities. In addition, he said the report will be used as an OEV recruitment tool in an effort to attract companies to the capital.
According to the report, how cities and regions compare to each other depends on the specific indicators monitored and how they are weighted.
„Generally speaking, some important factors are local GDP and its trend, the unemployment rate, what types of jobs are growing, what employers’ needs are similar to what the labor market has to offer. Activity in high-tech manufacturing and hot sectors like R&D and science, technology, engineering and math ( other occupations linked to STEM),” the report said.
In a May 3 email, the Tallahassee/Leon County director of planning, land management and community development said the rankings reflect leading metro areas poised for long-term growth.
„These metros are typically centers of the high-tech industry and have an affordable cost of living,” said Artie White, who heads PLACE. „As always, I’m proud of the work the OEV team does every day, and I believe these rankings reflect their hard work and the excellent collaboration of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Blueprint intergovernmental agency.”
In addition, Bowers said the private sector has an important role to play as a Democrat, as Tallahassee-based companies, such as Amazon with its new fulfillment center, have made large investments in and around Tallahassee.
„They continue to create jobs at a very rapid pace. They continue to focus on target industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, transportation/logistics and applied sciences and professional services,” Bowers said. „That focus has really helped move the needle for our entire community.”
Contact economic development reporter TaMaryn Waters at [email protected] and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.