Asheville placed 46 on the list of Best-Performing Cities 2008 released by Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners, up 71 spots from the 2007 rank. The gain is the second largest among all 200 cities in the list. The annual study, Best-Performing Cities: Where America’s Jobs Are Created and Sustained, ranks metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. Factors used to determine the ranking include: short- and long-term job growth; wage and salary statistics; and concentration of high-tech industries. Asheville’s rise in the rankings was driven primarily by strong one-year job growth, earning a rank of 14, and five-year job growth, ranked at 52.
“This ranking will help strengthen our case in telling how special the Asheville economy is,” said Robert Sipes, Chairman, Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County. “The report places Asheville among an elite group of top performing metros.”
The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (EDC) is a unique public-private partnership whose goal is to promote quality, sustainable high-paying jobs and responsible community investment. This Coalition is dedicated to the continuous improvement of the local and regional economy and well-being of its citizens. Since its inception in 1994, the EDC has assisted new and expanding firms with capital investments totaling over $585 million and the creation of more than 8,500 new jobs in Buncombe County.