While coastal cities have long been hotbeds for industry development and relocating homeowners, metros in Texas are beginning to usurp them as top places for prosperity. The Lone Star state boasted six of the top 20 prosperous cities, according to apartment site RentCafé.
What makes a city prosperous? RentCafé researchers analyzed six indicators of prosperity throughout U.S. cities with populations of more than 100,000 to see how they’ve changed between 2000 and 2016. They ranked 303 cities by the magnitude of changes that affected their population, median income, home values, share of inhabitants holding a higher education degree, poverty rate, and unemployment rate.
The most prosperous U.S. cities from 2000 to 2016, according to the study, are:
1. Odessa, Texas
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Charleston, S.C.
4. Fontana, Calif.
5. North Charleston, S.C.
6. Jersey City, N.J.
7. Pearland, Texas
8. Miami
9. Brownsville, Texas
10. Midland, Texas
11. New York
12. Santa Maria, Calif.
13. Wilmington, N.C.
14. Fort Worth, Texas
15. Seattle
16. El Paso, Texas
17. Los Angeles
18. Clovis, Calif.
19. Baltimore
20. Pasadena, Calif.
Source: “The Most Prosperous Cities in the U.S.,” RentCafé Blog (May 15, 2018)