For Forbes’ list of the best cities for jobs, we ranked all 398 current metropolitan statistical areas, based on employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported from November 1999 to January 2011. Rankings are based on recent growth trends, mid-term growth and long-term growth and momentum. We also broke down rankings by size — small, medium and large — since regional economies differ markedly due to their scale.

Reflecting the importance of the war effort in stimulating local economies, command of this year’s best place for jobs was handed to the Army from the Marines. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas, shot up to No. 1 from No. 4, while Jacksonville, N.C., last year’s first-place winner and home to Camp Lejeune, dropped to 19th place.

Once again the best places for jobs tended to be smaller communities where incremental improvements can have a relatively large impact. Eighteen of the top 20 cities on our list were either small (under 150,000 nonfarm jobs) or mid-sized areas (less than 450,000 jobs).

But no place displayed more vibrancy than Texas. The Lone Star State dominated the three size categories, with the No. 1 mid-sized city, El Paso (No. 3 overall, up 22 places from last year) and No.1 large metropolitan area Austin (No. 6 overall), joining Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood (the No. 1 small city) atop their respective lists.

Texas also produced three other of the top 10 smallest regions, including energy-dominated No. 4 Midland, which gained 41 places overall, and No. 10 Odessa, whose economy jumped a remarkable 57 places. It also added two other mid-size cities to its belt: No. 2 Corpus Christi and No. 4 McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission.

Whatever they are drinking in Texas, other states may want to imbibe. California — which boasted zero regions in the top 150 — is a prime example. Indeed, a group of California officials, led by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, recently trekked to the Lone Star State to learn possible lessons about what drives job creation. Gov. Jerry Brown and others in California’s hierarchy may not be ready to listen, despite the fact that the city Brown formerly ran, Oakland, ranked absolute last, No. 65, among the big metros in our survey, two places behind perennial also-ran No. 63 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich.

One lesson that green-centric California may have trouble learning is that, however attractive the long-term promise of alternative energy, fossil fuels pay the bills and create strong economies, at least for now. Even outside of Texas, oil capitals did well across the board, not surprising given the surging price of gas. Our No. 2 small metro, Bismarck, N.D., which also No. 2 overall, is the emerging capital of the expanding Dakota energy belt. Also faring well are Alaska’s two oil-fire cities, Fairbanks (No. 10 on our small list) and Anchorage (No. 3 on the medium-sized list).

There were some intriguing surprises as well. Most welcome are signs of revival from New Orleans-Metarie, La., which moved up a stunning 46 places to capture the No. 2 slot among our large metros. The region lost 11% of its population and nearly 16% of its jobs during the last decade. But now the Big Easy seems to be finding its place again among America’s great cities. Jobs, up 3.5% since 2006, have been created by rebuilding, a resurgence of tourism and a growing immigrant population — the region’s Hispanic population grew by 35,000 over the past decade.

There were other inspirational improvements this year. Sparked by a revival in manufacturing, a host of former sad sacks in parts of the Midwest are showing signs of definite improvement. Niles-Benton Harbor, Mich., a long-time denizen at the bottom of our list, shot up a remarkable 242 places this year to a respectable No. 121. Another old industrial city, Kokomo, Ind., ascended 177 places to No. 215, while Holland-Grand Haven, Mich., improved by 172 places to No. 221 and Grand Rapids, Mich., rose 167 places to No. 183. Milwaukee, a long-time loser among our largest metros, moved up by a healthy 163 places overall to a better-than-average No. 143.

The Northeast Corridor has also made strong progress. Here the likely explanation can be found in the fruits of Obamanomics. The stimulus has been particularly good for the vibrant economies surrounding the ever-expanding federal leviathan. Among the large metros, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, Va., did best of all the cities outside the South, repeating its No. 6 ranking among large metro areas. Right behind, at No. 7 on the large city list, sits the primarily suburban Northern Virginia metro area, while Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., ranks 12th.

The other big East Coast winners are the financial and university-oriented economies, which have reaped huge benefits from the TARP bailout and the Obama administration’s college-centric stimulus plan. After the Texas cities and the imperial center, most of the best performing big metros are located in financial and university centers, including No. 9 New York City, No. 10 Philadelphia, No. 11 Pittsburgh, No. 13 Boston and No. 15 Raleigh-Cary, N.C.

So who’s losing? Outside of Oakland and the big Southern California metros — including No. 60 Los Angeles, No. 59 Sacramento, No. 58 Riverside-San Bernardino and No. 50 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine — the bottom tier consisted of a motley crew of mid-South cities like Memphis (No. 64 on the big city list) and still-struggling, former big Sunbelt boomtowns Las Vegas (No. 62), West Palm Beach-Boynton Beach-Boca Raton, Fla. (No. 56), Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Boynton Beach, Fla. (No. 54), Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz. (No. 53), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (No. 52) and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (No. 51).

For the most part, these areas rose with the housing bubble and will not fully recover until the economy diversifies beyond real estate speculation. Already some of the bubble victims are showing signs of life, including No. 155 Merced, Calif., up 134 places, and No. 167 Orlando, Fla., which rode a revived interest in tourism to jump 89 places since last year.

While energy, America’s three wars, the recovering financial markets and real estate problems have played the lead role in setting the stage for the best places to do business, the Intermountain West has shown resilience with Salt Lake City, at No. 20 among large cities; Provo-Orem, Utah, Ogden-Clearfield, Utah, and Boulder, Colo., at Nos. 10, 25 and 26, respectively, among mid-sized cities; and Logan, Utah, and Fort Collins, Colo., at Nos. 9 and 38 among small cities.

As America struggles with a weak economic recovery, opportunities abound across the geography of the states — even in places where it seems bleakest like California, Nevada and Florida. If old industrial areas can stage the glimmers of a comeback, along with over-taxed and over-regulated Gotham, and greater New Orleans can rise from the near dead, these areas, with generally newer infrastructure and attractive climates, might be next to experience a resurgence of their own.

“With economists forecasting 2% to 2.5% job growth in Austin in 2011 (which will result in our unemployment rate falling below its current 6.8%), along with the continuation of strong population growth in the region, the level of pent-up demand for for-sale housing in our area is likely intensifying,” said Eldon Rude, director of Metrostudy’s Austin Region.

Regarding the new home market, in 2010, Austin saw 5,855 starts, down 10% from 2009. Austin closed 6,458 homes in 2010, down 14% from 2009. Because closings outpaced starts, new home inventory stands at 2,897 at the end of 2010, the lowest total inventory in Austin since 1993. “We anticipate the move-up market will strengthen in 2011, with minimal new home inventory levels possibly resulting in some pricing pressure in certain sectors of the resale market,” said Rude. “These numbers all put Austin in postion to begin its housing recovery in 2011.”

Metrostudy is the leading provider of primary and secondary market information to the housing industry and related industries nationwide. In addition to providing its own primary housing data collected by a staff of 650, the company is recognized for its consulting expertise on development, marketing and economic issues, and is a key source of research studies evaluating the marketability of residential and commercial real estate projects. Services are offered through an extensive network of offices located in major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.metrostudy.com.

“Apartment occupancy levels approaching 95% and virtually no new construction at this time will help the housing recovery,“ said Rude. Austin Investor Interests pointed to continued strong migration to the Austin region, as well as apartment renters starting to seek their own units again after doubling up over the last several years, as the primary reasons for the firming up of the apartment market over the last year.

“Also, the resale market inventory stands at healthier levels,” said Rude. As of November 2010 there were 9,906 active listings, resulting in a 6.0 month supply of listings based on the current pace of closings. In November 2009 there were 9,836 listings which translated into a 6.8 month supply.

Vavoom.com named Austin second best city for dating using data such as available singles, fun things to do and affordability. The company called Austin a “hip oasis hidden in the heart of Texas” for singles looking to picnic in the park, cruise Sixth Street nightlife or try out an array of local eateries.
Read more: Austin 2nd best place for dating in U.S. | Austin Business Journal

A report from AustinTowers.net, a downtown Austin real estate blog, compiled MLS data from 25 downtown residential towers. The group tracked 168 sales last year, or about 50 percent more than in 2009. The average selling price last year was $294 per square foot, down from $296 per square foot in 2009. Units sold for an average $308 per square foot in 2008.

“With more than 2,000 new downtown condo units built downtown in the last decade, overcapacity and the real estate downturn threatened to depress condo prices” AustinTowers Editor Paul J. D’Arcy said.

“The 2010 sales results show that the market remains quite strong given the difficulties facing the broader real estate and mortgage markets.”

The report said the average price per unit sold downtown was $343,983 up from about $330,344 last year, but down from $345,856 in 2008. The average time to sell a condo was 100 days, a 12-day increase from 2009.

The latter half of the year was particularly active, the Austin Business Journal reported in November. In October, there were 30 closings for downtown condos, according to Travis County data confirmed by developers. Twenty-one of those were at the three latest high-profile condo buildings downtown: the Four Seasons Resinces, Spring Condominiums, and The Austonian.

“Significant further improvement in Austin’s apartment occupancy rate looks like a sure thing,” said Greg Willett, MPF’s vice president of research. “As for rent growth, it is always a feast-or-famine situation in Austin. Conditions now are coming together to produce one of the area’s cyclical pricing spikes.”

Austin Business Journal – Monday, November 22, 2010

Austin was ranked the sixth safest city among those with 500,000 or more residents, according to a report by CQ Press.

The list ranks cities from a compilation of crime statistics in six main categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

In the 500,000 plus category, the safest city was El Paso. Next came Honolulu, then New York, San Jose, San Diego, Austin, Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle and Fort Worth.

In the same population category the most dangerous cities, in order, were Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Houston and Columbus.

Round Rock was listed the ninth safest out of cities nationally with more than 100,000 people. It was the second-highest rank of 32 Texas towns of the same size.

1. They started with a list of all of America’s metropolitan areas with more than one million people, and then narrowed it down by eliminating any city whose cost of living was above average.
2. For the next step, they considered the lifestyle needs of telecommuters. Many studies have shown that remote workers tend to be more educated than the average employee, so they factored in The Daily Beast’s 2010 study of America’s smartest cities, which looks at educational attainment, number of universities and libraries, and general intellectual environment. They also looked for the most literate cities (based on book sales, libraries, newspaper sales, and online reading activities.)
3. Finally, because working from home can wreak havoc on one’s personal fitness, they factored in the healthiest cities, as determined by the American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index.

And Austin ranked number ONE! “Austin has a rich intellectual and cultural scene, due in no small part to the University of Texas — Austin, the flagship of the UT system and the undisputed leader among the more than 10 colleges and universities that make their home in the city. Austin is especially famous for its impressive music scene, which has made it the self-declared “live music capital of the world.” As far as fitness is concerned, the American College of Sports Medicine ranks it as America’s tenth-healthiest city (and the top one on this list).”

Last week brought the release of 2009 estimates (before the release of the actual Decennial Census) from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Here’s a sampling of findings from the 2009 ACS for the 5-county Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area that may be helpful in your presentations about Austin. More information is available from the Chamber of Commerce. 

 Education:  Austin is ranked fourth in the nation for the percent of the population aged 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher.  Out of 1,096,413 residents over 25 years or older, Austin has 38.7% with at least a bachelor’s degree compared to 27.9% nationally, beating out Denver, Seattle and New York.  The population enrolled in college or graduate school is 148,329 or 31.2%, compared to 27.9% nationally.

Population:  Austin has the highest in-migration of population out of the 50 largest metropolitan areas with 6.9% of the population have moved from a different metro or non-metro area in the last year.  The Austin MSA Population is estimated at 1,705,075 and households at 614,047.  The population over 65 is estimated at 134,124 or 7.9%, compared to 12.9% nationally.  The Hispanic population is 30.7% compared to 15.8% nationally.  Foreign-born total 249,240, or 14.6%, compared to 12.5% nationally. A larger portion of these are not naturalized (71.3%) compared to the nation (56.3%).  Median age is 32.4 years, compared to 36.8 years nationally.

Income:  Median earnings for a male full-time, year-round worker is $44,881, 1.3% below the national earnings. Median earnings for a female full-time, year-round worker is $38,025, 7.0% above the national earnings.  Median household income is $56,218 compared to $50,221 nationally.  Management and professional occupations account for 42.1% of jobs held by the civilian employed population, compared to 35.7% nationally.

Real Estate:  The median value of an owner-occupied home is $189,300 compared to $185,200 nationally. Renters pay a median rent of $909, compared to $842 nationally.

Rays of Sunshine:

In a lump of coal you sometimes find a diamond. In an oil slick, you find patches of clear water. And in a recession, there are success stories that can change how we think about our country in the modern era. The United States is a vast country whose different regions vary so much in terms of climate, population, and business environment that it can be hard to determine exactly what one city is doing to achieve success that another is not.

But while conditions are difficult in every part of the country, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of some of our large and medium-sized cities. With a population as diverse and dynamic as we have in the U.S., innovations in striking the right balance between quality of life and economic opportunity will ensure that at the very least, Americans will always experiment with making their cities the most desirable as they can.

3rd Fastest-Growing City: Austin, Texas

Change in Population, 2000-2008: 32.2%

The capital of Texas, also known as the “live music capital of the world” for events such as the Austin City Limits annual music festival, Austin ranks as the third fastest growing city in the nation by population. Increasing in population by almost a third from 2000-2008, the city is home to a number of major corporations such as Dell and Whole Fooods, and a recent deal inked with Facebook promises to bring even more attention to this up-and-coming city.