Full Rankings

50 metropolitan statistical areas ranked by composite economic health score — May 2026

# Metro Grade Score Unemp. Wage YoY Emp. YoY LF YoY DOM
1 Raleigh Raleigh-Cary A+ 80.7 3.0% +4.3% +2.0% +1.7% 44 days
2 Atlanta Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell A+ 74.9 3.3% +5.2% +0.4% +1.4% 49 days
3 Austin Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos A+ 73.1 3.4% +7.8% +1.1% +0.8% 51 days
4 Kansas City Kansas City A+ 68.7 3.9% +7.0% +0.0% +0.4% 41 days
5 Cincinnati Cincinnati A 66.8 3.7% +3.3% +0.1% -0.4% 37 days
6 Nashville Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin A 66.8 2.9% +3.9% +0.8% -0.4% 50 days
7 Hartford Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford A 65.4 2.7% +0.6% +1.9% +2.8% 25 days
8 Dallas Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington A 63.9 3.9% +3.1% +0.9% +0.5% 46 days
9 Birmingham Birmingham A- 61.0 2.7% -0.9% +0.7% +0.3% 52 days
10 San Jose San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara A- 60.3 3.9% +0.8% +1.6% -0.1% 28 days
11 Las Vegas Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas A- 60.2 5.4% +6.2% +1.5% +2.4% 51 days
12 Charlotte Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia B+ 59.0 3.7% -0.0% +0.9% +1.1% 45 days
13 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh B+ 58.5 4.0% +6.4% -0.6% +1.2% 50 days
14 Salt Lake City Salt Lake City-Murray B+ 58.5 3.9% +4.9% +1.1% -0.7% 44 days
15 San Diego San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad B+ 56.6 4.3% +5.9% +1.0% -0.7% 38 days
16 Columbus Columbus B+ 55.4 3.4% +2.8% +0.5% -0.3% 36 days
17 Los Angeles Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim B 54.2 4.8% +5.2% +1.8% -0.5% 46 days
18 Seattle Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue B 50.7 4.9% +8.1% -0.1% -0.8% 34 days
19 San Francisco San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont B 50.5 4.0% +6.2% +0.2% -1.4% 31 days
20 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City B 50.1 3.4% +6.8% -0.9% -1.2% 51 days
21 Memphis Memphis B- 49.9 4.2% +5.0% -0.0% -0.8% 54 days
22 Houston Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands B- 49.4 4.4% +2.0% +0.5% +0.3% 48 days
23 Miami Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach B- 48.4 3.7% +8.0% -0.6% +0.1% 77 days
24 Cleveland Cleveland B- 48.4 3.4% -0.2% +0.6% +1.8% 55 days
25 Providence Providence-Warwick B- 48.4 4.3% +3.8% +0.6% +1.7% 27 days
26 Grand Rapids Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood B- 47.8 4.0% +3.8% -0.1% -4.5% 37 days
27 Orlando Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford B- 46.7 4.4% +1.6% +0.8% +1.1% 68 days
28 Tampa Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater B- 46.0 4.5% +7.8% -0.3% +0.1% 67 days
29 Denver Denver-Aurora-Centennial B- 46.0 3.7% +1.6% -0.4% -2.3% 39 days
30 San Antonio San Antonio-New Braunfels B- 45.3 4.0% +3.0% +0.3% -0.2% 53 days
31 Chicago Chicago-Naperville-Elgin B- 44.8 5.1% +4.2% -0.1% -0.9% 34 days
32 New York New York Newark-Jersey City B- 44.6 4.5% +6.1% -0.6% +0.7% 41 days
33 Virginia Beach Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk B- 44.6 3.9% +7.5% -0.7% -0.4% 35 days
34 Fresno Fresno C+ 44.0 8.9% +4.4% +2.1% -0.2% 50 days
35 Indianapolis Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood C+ 43.3 3.3% +0.6% -0.5% -0.5% 41 days
36 Phoenix Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler C+ 40.0 4.0% +3.7% -0.2% -1.0% 57 days
37 St. Louis St. Louis C+ 39.2 4.3% +0.6% -0.6% +0.4% 42 days
38 Baltimore Baltimore-Columbia-Towson C+ 39.1 4.3% +5.3% -1.4% +0.8% 32 days
39 Detroit Detroit-Warren-Dearborn C 35.6 5.3% +2.0% -0.4% +0.9% 39 days
40 Milwaukee Milwaukee-Waukesha C 35.6 4.2% +2.8% -0.8% -0.0% 36 days
41 Sacramento Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom C 35.2 4.7% +1.2% +0.7% -0.6% 38 days
42 Washington DC Washington-Arlington-Alexandria C 33.8 4.1% +3.5% -3.2% -2.1% 29 days
43 Boston Boston-Cambridge-Newton C 33.6 3.9% +3.6% -0.8% +2.9% 25 days
44 Philadelphia Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington C 33.1 4.3% -1.4% -0.3% +1.2% 36 days
45 Minneapolis Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington C 33.1 4.5% +1.6% -0.1% -1.1% 33 days
46 Richmond Richmond C 33.0 3.7% +2.6% -0.5% -0.3% 38 days
47 Portland Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro C- 31.7 5.2% +5.8% -2.6% -1.4% 47 days
48 Riverside Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario C- 31.1 5.1% +5.2% +0.2% -1.1% 54 days
49 Louisville Louisville-Jefferson County C- 29.8 4.4% +3.0% -1.2% -0.9% 38 days
50 Jacksonville Jacksonville D 22.6 4.7% +3.5% -0.8% -0.1% 58 days