Elsewhere in the state, the sprawling New York City metro area and the state capital of Albany have experienced much stronger recoveries -- up about 9 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.
New York is, in many ways, a microcosm of what's happened across much of the country since the Great Recession began 10 years ago this month: The most populated regions and those with highly educated workforces have recovered, while smaller areas mostly continue to struggle.
Governing analyzed federal employment estimates for all metro areas over the 10-year period. Data show the smallest regions with less than 50,000 workers have seen their economies grow by an average of just 1.6 percent. Metro areas with workforces of at least a half million, on the other hand, have seen their economies grow by an average of about 10 percent.
| Metro Area Workforce | Average Job Change Since Recession Began | Metro Area Count |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 50,000 | 1.6% | 48 |
| 50,000 to 100,000 | 3.7% | 112 |
| 100,00 to 200,000 | 4.4% | 78 |
| 200,000 to 500,000 | 6.4% | 55 |
| 500,000 to 1 million | 10.4% | 21 |
| More than 1 million | 9.1% | 28 |
The main issue holding back smaller regions is that their economies often aren’t very diverse, says Gary Keith, a regional economist with M&T Bank in New York. “There’s 20 or 25 big metro areas that have done extremely well," he says, "but everyone else has not kept that type of pace.”
But if there’s one advantage these smaller regions have going for them, Keith adds, it’s that they offer a much lower cost-of-living than a large metropolis or coastal city. That, he says, could help to slow population losses.
The few small metro areas with sharp job gains tend to be well-educated college towns. Consider Ithaca, N.Y., where over half of adults hold either bachelor’s or advanced degrees (The U.S. average is 33 percent.). The region’s labor market has expanded 13 percent over the decade, the largest increase in the state.
Education is a major determining factor in how regional economies have fared.
Just about everywhere suffered job losses the first few years of the recession. But over the decade, regions where at least a quarter of adults hold bachelor’s or advanced degrees experienced more than double the rate of job growth of other less-educated labor markets.
Types of industries that make up local economies also explain regions’ diverging fortunes.
Education, health and business-related industries have all recovered quite well. That’s helped prop up regions with more of these jobs, particularly state capitals and those home to large universities. Other large sectors of the economy, however, including construction and wholesale trade, still employ fewer workers now than their recession-era peaks, according to Labor Department figures.
That's especially true for regions that rely heavily on manufacturing.
Rockford, Ill., one such region, has sustained among the largest job losses since the recession began. Downsizing in manufacturing led to declines in retail trade, construction and other segments of the area’s economy, says Tom Austin, an economist with the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The region responded with a slew of initiatives targeting education and workforce development, such as a new four-year engineering program at local colleges and career readiness academy programs at Rockford Public Schools.
Many of the hardest-hit regions over the decade, such as Rockford and Binghamton, are either manufacturing centers or home to a single industry. By contrast, regions with the top employment gains were college towns or those supported by tech or energy firms.
| Largest Metro Job Losses | Top Job Growth Rates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | -10.7% | Austin-Round Rock, TX | 31.9% |
| Binghamton, NY | -8.6% | Provo-Orem, UT | 30.8% |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | -8.0% | Greeley, CO | 25.5% |
| Lafayette, LA | -7.2% | Lake Charles, LA | 24.2% |
| Rockford, IL | -6.8% | College Station-Bryan, TX | 23.3% |
| Peoria, IL | -6.8% | Nashville-Davidson, TN | 23.2% |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | -6.6% | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 23.1% |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | -6.3% | Fort Collins, CO | 22.8% |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | -6.0% | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 22.7% |
| Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA | -6.0% | Fargo, ND-MN | 20.3% |
If there's one small metro area that's enjoyed rapid growth counter to national trends, it's Lake Charles, La. The area's economy is one of the fastest growing in the country, propelled by major investments in liquefied natural gas facilities.
But for Lafayette, Shreveport and other regional economies in the state that are also closely tied to the energy sector, the story has been much different. After initially booming, they experienced major job losses as oil prices dropped or drillers shifted operations elsewhere.
Loren Scott, a Louisiana State University economist, says Lafayette and Shreveport have since lured some tech firms, but they tend to be smaller companies that employ less than 100 workers. “Education," Scott adds, "plays a role in keeping these economies from diversifying as much as they would like."
Still, this all doesn't mean that struggling economies can't reverse job losses. M&T Bank’s Keith cited Pittsburgh and Buffalo, N.Y., as two once predominately industrial areas that have reinvented their economies. “It’s almost a mental block that comes into play about how a community views itself and what it should be doing,” Keith says. “The more you recognize that you’re not going to have the industrial path come back, the better off you’ll be.”
| Metro Area | Change | Dec. 2007 Employment | Oct. 2017 Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | -6.1% | 52,500 | 49,300 |
| Dalton, GA | -9.4% | 77,500 | 70,200 |
| Merced, CA | 9.2% | 60,600 | 66,200 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 3.7% | 38,000 | 39,400 |
| Madera, CA | 5.4% | 36,900 | 38,900 |
| Danville, IL | -9.4% | 31,000 | 28,100 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA | 8.5% | 117,000 | 126,900 |
| El Centro, CA | 6.3% | 49,600 | 52,700 |
| Yuma, AZ | 0.7% | 54,300 | 54,700 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA | -12.2% | 97,000 | 85,200 |
| Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ | -2.9% | 62,300 | 60,500 |
| Odessa, TX | 15.1% | 61,400 | 70,700 |
| Farmington, NM | -9.2% | 53,100 | 48,200 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 7.1% | 243,200 | 260,500 |
| Morristown, TN | 0.0% | 47,000 | 47,000 |
| Mansfield, OH | -8.0% | 57,600 | 53,000 |
| Yakima, WA | 7.7% | 79,600 | 85,700 |
| Pine Bluff, AR | -14.1% | 38,300 | 32,900 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | -12.5% | 64,600 | 56,500 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | -2.0% | 39,700 | 38,900 |
| Longview, WA | 2.1% | 38,500 | 39,300 |
| Gadsden, AL | 3.4% | 37,900 | 39,200 |
| Yuba City, CA | 4.0% | 42,200 | 43,900 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | -6.6% | 121,400 | 113,400 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | -2.7% | 62,100 | 60,400 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 14.9% | 124,600 | 143,200 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | -14.7% | 48,400 | 41,300 |
| Modesto, CA | 7.7% | 163,300 | 175,800 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 19.0% | 217,600 | 259,000 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | -2.4% | 166,700 | 162,700 |
| Alexandria, LA | -4.3% | 65,500 | 62,700 |
| Laredo, TX | 16.7% | 89,600 | 104,600 |
| Michigan City-La Porte, IN | -13.9% | 46,600 | 40,100 |
| Lima, OH | -5.0% | 55,800 | 53,000 |
| Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL | -11.9% | 53,100 | 46,800 |
| Albany, GA | -3.2% | 64,800 | 62,700 |
| Longview, TX | 0.3% | 97,600 | 97,900 |
| Ocala, FL | -1.0% | 105,000 | 103,900 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | -6.3% | 161,500 | 151,400 |
| Victoria, TX | 0.2% | 42,200 | 42,300 |
| Hinesville, GA | 11.4% | 18,400 | 20,500 |
| Springfield, OH | -5.3% | 52,900 | 50,100 |
| Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 7.7% | 128,900 | 138,800 |
| Muskegon, MI | -1.4% | 64,800 | 63,900 |
| Bay City, MI | -5.5% | 37,900 | 35,800 |
| Goldsboro, NC | -8.4% | 45,200 | 41,400 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | -8.1% | 43,200 | 39,700 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 6.6% | 215,900 | 230,200 |
| Cleveland, TN | 19.4% | 40,800 | 48,700 |
| Dothan, AL | -6.7% | 62,400 | 58,200 |
| Rome, GA | -2.4% | 42,200 | 41,200 |
| Monroe, MI | 1.4% | 42,300 | 42,900 |
| Kankakee, IL | 1.6% | 44,800 | 45,500 |
| Owensboro, KY | 4.5% | 51,100 | 53,400 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 6.4% | 209,200 | 222,500 |
| Kokomo, IN | 3.1% | 41,600 | 42,900 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | 5.5% | 59,600 | 62,900 |
| Johnstown, PA | -9.3% | 62,100 | 56,300 |
| Decatur, AL | -9.2% | 59,500 | 54,000 |
| Terre Haute, IN | -2.7% | 73,600 | 71,600 |
| Sumter, SC | 1.0% | 38,800 | 39,200 |
| Flint, MI | -4.8% | 148,100 | 141,000 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 6.9% | 46,600 | 49,800 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 7.7% | 182,800 | 196,900 |
| Fresno, CA | 10.0% | 314,400 | 345,700 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | -6.0% | 146,700 | 137,900 |
| Altoona, PA | -4.8% | 62,800 | 59,800 |
| Lebanon, PA | 3.0% | 50,300 | 51,800 |
| Redding, CA | 3.7% | 65,700 | 68,100 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | -2.3% | 68,300 | 66,700 |
| Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA | -1.2% | 123,800 | 122,300 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 4.5% | 102,900 | 107,500 |
| Florence, SC | 0.5% | 88,500 | 88,900 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 13.5% | 1,286,600 | 1,460,700 |
| Jackson, MI | 0.0% | 58,300 | 58,300 |
| Battle Creek, MI | 2.2% | 58,200 | 59,500 |
| Saginaw, MI | 1.8% | 88,700 | 90,300 |
| Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA | -6.0% | 237,100 | 222,900 |
| Janesville-Beloit, WI | -0.4% | 70,200 | 69,900 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 7.8% | 43,400 | 46,800 |
| Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY | 10.3% | 52,500 | 57,900 |
| Williamsport, PA | -2.2% | 54,000 | 52,800 |
| Valdosta, GA | -0.4% | 57,000 | 56,800 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 1.2% | 56,700 | 57,400 |
| Lawton, OK | 3.1% | 44,600 | 46,000 |
| Lake Charles, LA | 24.2% | 93,500 | 116,100 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 1.0% | 86,600 | 87,500 |
| Carson City, NV | -9.8% | 32,600 | 29,400 |
| Lafayette, LA | -7.2% | 214,200 | 198,700 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS | -3.0% | 161,300 | 156,400 |
| Punta Gorda, FL | 11.3% | 44,400 | 49,400 |
| Joplin, MO | 2.8% | 80,000 | 82,200 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | -6.1% | 61,900 | 58,100 |
| Canton-Massillon, OH | -1.1% | 173,400 | 171,500 |
| El Paso, TX | 13.8% | 280,900 | 319,700 |
| Hot Springs, AR | -1.5% | 38,800 | 38,200 |
| Waco, TX | 8.8% | 109,400 | 119,000 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | -1.4% | 49,000 | 48,300 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | 5.8% | 27,800 | 29,400 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 18.5% | 126,200 | 149,600 |
| Rockford, IL | -6.8% | 161,900 | 150,900 |
| Burlington, NC | 0.5% | 62,200 | 62,500 |
| Pueblo, CO | 6.1% | 58,800 | 62,400 |
| Panama City, FL | 6.8% | 80,800 | 86,300 |
| Abilene, TX | 2.2% | 66,900 | 68,400 |
| Spartanburg, SC | 8.7% | 138,800 | 150,900 |
| Macon-Bibb County, GA | 2.0% | 101,200 | 103,200 |
| Casper, WY | -6.2% | 40,200 | 37,700 |
| Mobile, AL | -3.2% | 184,700 | 178,700 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 6.9% | 189,500 | 202,500 |
| Jonesboro, AR | 16.5% | 49,000 | 57,100 |
| San Angelo, TX | 7.2% | 46,000 | 49,300 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 9.0% | 82,000 | 89,400 |
| Wenatchee, WA | 13.9% | 40,400 | 46,000 |
| Warner Robins, GA | 6.0% | 70,000 | 74,200 |
| Monroe, LA | 1.0% | 79,200 | 80,000 |
| Brunswick, GA | -3.7% | 46,000 | 44,300 |
| Dover, DE | 2.8% | 67,700 | 69,600 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | -8.0% | 193,400 | 177,900 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | -0.2% | 121,800 | 121,500 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 5.8% | 931,400 | 985,300 |
| Jackson, TN | 5.8% | 65,200 | 69,000 |
| Gainesville, GA | 14.5% | 78,800 | 90,200 |
| Charleston, WV | -5.9% | 126,700 | 119,200 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 2.7% | 128,700 | 132,200 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 0.2% | 183,700 | 184,100 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 0.1% | 262,900 | 263,100 |
| Decatur, IL | -8.0% | 55,100 | 50,700 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | -3.7% | 132,700 | 127,800 |
| Amarillo, TX | 7.0% | 114,100 | 122,100 |
| Reading, PA | 3.0% | 174,100 | 179,300 |
| Salinas, CA | 5.8% | 132,100 | 139,800 |
| Coeur d'Alene, ID | 9.3% | 56,900 | 62,200 |
| Bowling Green, KY | 10.5% | 69,600 | 76,900 |
| Muncie, IN | -2.3% | 53,200 | 52,000 |
| Evansville, IN-KY | 3.1% | 156,600 | 161,400 |
| Sheboygan, WI | -3.9% | 64,300 | 61,800 |
| Elmira, NY | -10.9% | 41,100 | 36,600 |
| Salem, OR | 6.5% | 153,300 | 163,200 |
| Racine, WI | -3.5% | 80,300 | 77,500 |
| Wausau, WI | -1.6% | 74,600 | 73,400 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC | 5.2% | 157,000 | 165,100 |
| Glens Falls, NY | -0.2% | 56,900 | 56,800 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 4.9% | 247,500 | 259,700 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 11.2% | 133,100 | 148,000 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | -9.1% | 46,000 | 41,800 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 9.6% | 220,500 | 241,700 |
| Johnson City, TN | 0.7% | 80,300 | 80,900 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 3.5% | 48,300 | 50,000 |
| Tyler, TX | 11.4% | 96,500 | 107,500 |
| Lynchburg, VA | -4.2% | 108,700 | 104,100 |
| St. Cloud, MN | 6.8% | 103,500 | 110,500 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 7.2% | 128,800 | 138,100 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | -10.7% | 149,700 | 133,700 |
| Toledo, OH | 1.4% | 309,400 | 313,600 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 5.1% | 167,900 | 176,400 |
| Lancaster, PA | 6.0% | 239,300 | 253,600 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 11.0% | 57,500 | 63,800 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 19.5% | 93,700 | 112,000 |
| Midland, TX | 27.8% | 69,500 | 88,800 |
| Great Falls, MT | 0.8% | 35,600 | 35,900 |
| Green Bay, WI | 3.2% | 169,700 | 175,100 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 1.9% | 216,700 | 220,800 |
| Medford, OR | 3.5% | 83,600 | 86,500 |
| Jefferson City, MO | -3.9% | 80,100 | 77,000 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 7.6% | 100,300 | 107,900 |
| Prescott, AZ | -2.7% | 64,100 | 62,400 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 1.8% | 135,000 | 137,400 |
| Idaho Falls, ID | 8.5% | 60,200 | 65,300 |
| Chico, CA | 8.5% | 76,600 | 83,100 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | -2.4% | 188,600 | 184,100 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 0.2% | 261,300 | 261,700 |
| Niles-Benton Harbor, MI | -5.3% | 65,600 | 62,100 |
| Erie, PA | -3.5% | 133,900 | 129,200 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 15.1% | 225,100 | 259,100 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | -1.3% | 143,900 | 142,100 |
| Greeley, CO | 25.5% | 82,500 | 103,500 |
| Eau Claire, WI | -0.8% | 84,900 | 84,200 |
| Tulsa, OK | 3.1% | 435,200 | 448,600 |
| Grand Junction, CO | -5.9% | 64,700 | 60,900 |
| Pocatello, ID | 1.9% | 36,100 | 36,800 |
| Springfield, MO | 6.6% | 201,800 | 215,100 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 4.0% | 93,300 | 97,000 |
| Binghamton, NY | -8.6% | 114,200 | 104,400 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | 8.5% | 382,400 | 415,000 |
| Topeka, KS | 3.5% | 110,000 | 113,900 |
| Roanoke, VA | 1.2% | 162,700 | 164,700 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 22.7% | 858,200 | 1,053,000 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 0.4% | 642,500 | 645,300 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 0.4% | 90,100 | 90,500 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL | 6.1% | 49,500 | 52,500 |
| Lubbock, TX | 14.4% | 129,300 | 147,900 |
| Peoria, IL | -6.8% | 187,900 | 175,200 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 5.1% | 346,100 | 363,900 |
| Rapid City, SD | 7.6% | 63,500 | 68,300 |
| Knoxville, TN | 6.0% | 373,700 | 396,200 |
| St. George, UT | 18.2% | 54,900 | 64,900 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 7.8% | 379,700 | 409,500 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 4.1% | 235,800 | 245,500 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 10.4% | 613,400 | 677,100 |
| Montgomery, AL | -2.3% | 179,100 | 175,000 |
| Dayton, OH | 0.2% | 389,800 | 390,600 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 2.1% | 211,900 | 216,400 |
| Harrisonburg, VA | 8.6% | 63,600 | 69,100 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 10.1% | 1,218,400 | 1,341,100 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | -2.4% | 370,300 | 361,500 |
| Las Cruces, NM | 4.8% | 69,300 | 72,600 |
| Appleton, WI | 6.9% | 119,700 | 128,000 |
| Cheyenne, WY | 5.6% | 44,800 | 47,300 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 7.1% | 537,900 | 576,300 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 8.8% | 105,500 | 114,800 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | -1.8% | 534,800 | 525,200 |
| Eugene, OR | 2.2% | 157,700 | 161,200 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 2.4% | 348,300 | 356,500 |
| Billings, MT | 5.5% | 81,500 | 86,000 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 9.7% | 628,400 | 689,500 |
| Wichita, KS | -2.3% | 307,800 | 300,600 |
| Reno, NV | 2.7% | 222,200 | 228,200 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 23.1% | 208,700 | 256,900 |
| Dubuque, IA | 7.0% | 55,800 | 59,700 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 10.0% | 580,600 | 638,700 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 15.7% | 1,085,100 | 1,255,100 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | 5.7% | 61,400 | 64,900 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 3.8% | 1,945,000 | 2,018,700 |
| Ogden-Clearfield, UT | 14.0% | 223,800 | 255,100 |
| Jackson, MS | 3.2% | 271,800 | 280,500 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 0.1% | 1,069,100 | 1,069,800 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 4.1% | 332,900 | 346,500 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 4.6% | 138,800 | 145,200 |
| Akron, OH | -1.1% | 342,400 | 338,700 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 5.7% | 1,919,700 | 2,029,500 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 6.6% | 75,200 | 80,200 |
| Columbus, IN | 18.3% | 45,900 | 54,300 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | -0.8% | 772,500 | 766,000 |
| Greenville, NC | 1.5% | 77,700 | 78,900 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | 5.0% | 53,800 | 56,500 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 10.4% | 2,418,300 | 2,669,500 |
| Ocean City, NJ | 5.3% | 43,200 | 45,500 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY | 2.5% | 548,100 | 561,600 |
| Kingston, NY | -0.6% | 63,000 | 62,600 |
| Anchorage, AK | 5.6% | 168,400 | 177,900 |
| Savannah, GA | 12.7% | 160,900 | 181,300 |
| Tucson, AZ | -2.8% | 384,400 | 373,600 |
| Albuquerque, NM | -1.0% | 398,400 | 394,500 |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 14.7% | 269,500 | 309,100 |
| Syracuse, NY | -0.4% | 320,700 | 319,300 |
| Boise City, ID | 16.3% | 274,900 | 319,700 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | 2.4% | 87,900 | 90,000 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI | 14.5% | 488,800 | 559,600 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 16.2% | 2,623,000 | 3,048,100 |
| Columbia, SC | 7.6% | 368,500 | 396,500 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 4.7% | 1,051,000 | 1,100,500 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA | 6.3% | 918,100 | 975,800 |
| Sioux Falls, SD | 14.1% | 134,500 | 153,400 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 3.7% | 145,200 | 150,500 |
| Bismarck, ND | 17.4% | 62,600 | 73,500 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 2.5% | 1,147,700 | 1,176,100 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 12.0% | 958,000 | 1,072,800 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 3.9% | 297,200 | 308,900 |
| Asheville, NC | 8.0% | 176,400 | 190,500 |
| Mankato-North Mankato, MN | 6.6% | 54,900 | 58,500 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 17.2% | 620,200 | 727,000 |
| Fairbanks, AK | -1.8% | 38,000 | 37,300 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 1.8% | 1,357,300 | 1,381,800 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4.9% | 5,777,600 | 6,058,300 |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 14.4% | 93,000 | 106,400 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 6.2% | 175,100 | 185,900 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 14.4% | 1,034,300 | 1,183,700 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 5.4% | 74,700 | 78,700 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 23.2% | 800,500 | 986,600 |
| Morgantown, WV | 15.5% | 61,900 | 71,500 |
| Rochester, NY | 1.7% | 520,200 | 528,800 |
| Bellingham, WA | 8.9% | 86,500 | 94,200 |
| Napa, CA | 11.6% | 65,400 | 73,000 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 17.1% | 304,500 | 356,500 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 19.7% | 3,041,100 | 3,640,600 |
| Bend-Redmond, OR | 14.5% | 71,100 | 81,400 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 5.6% | 457,700 | 483,500 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 2.5% | 228,300 | 234,100 |
| Springfield, IL | 2.8% | 111,600 | 114,700 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | 7.3% | 190,300 | 204,100 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 11.5% | 103,600 | 115,500 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL | 16.5% | 127,000 | 147,900 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 0.3% | 860,600 | 863,100 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA | 12.0% | 104,100 | 116,600 |
| Wilmington, NC | 8.7% | 117,600 | 127,800 |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 0.9% | 66,100 | 66,700 |
| Richmond, VA | 9.1% | 621,600 | 678,200 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 8.5% | 469,000 | 508,700 |
| Columbus, OH | 13.3% | 962,800 | 1,091,200 |
| Logan, UT-ID | 12.0% | 55,100 | 61,700 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | 21.8% | 54,600 | 66,500 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 7.4% | 1,009,900 | 1,084,700 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 23.3% | 97,100 | 119,700 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4.2% | 2,818,700 | 2,937,500 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 4.4% | 447,700 | 467,200 |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA | 6.7% | 91,500 | 97,600 |
| Rochester, MN | 4.9% | 113,900 | 119,500 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | 20.3% | 119,800 | 144,100 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 2.8% | 4,561,100 | 4,686,800 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 10.8% | 254,400 | 281,900 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 12.5% | 326,300 | 367,200 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 9.2% | 261,200 | 285,300 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 9.8% | 1,322,800 | 1,453,000 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 11.8% | 1,050,600 | 1,174,800 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 12.1% | 2,463,100 | 2,762,100 |
| Huntsville, AL | 9.0% | 214,000 | 233,200 |
| Lincoln, NE | 9.3% | 174,400 | 190,700 |
| Provo-Orem, UT | 30.8% | 191,200 | 250,100 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 1.6% | 178,500 | 181,400 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 6.7% | 1,322,300 | 1,410,600 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 8.6% | 8,902,100 | 9,665,300 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 5.2% | 96,500 | 101,500 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 13.4% | 1,778,600 | 2,017,800 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 9.1% | 1,846,800 | 2,014,500 |
| Bloomington, IN | 0.7% | 76,400 | 76,900 |
| Gainesville, FL | 7.1% | 134,700 | 144,200 |
| Trenton, NJ | 11.0% | 241,500 | 268,100 |
| Santa Fe, NM | -3.9% | 66,800 | 64,200 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | -3.5% | 112,700 | 108,700 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 16.4% | 1,253,300 | 1,459,100 |
| Missoula, MT | 6.9% | 56,900 | 60,800 |
| State College, PA | 3.1% | 74,900 | 77,200 |
| Charlottesville, VA | 9.4% | 106,900 | 116,900 |
| Bloomington, IL | -2.4% | 96,400 | 94,100 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 31.9% | 783,800 | 1,033,800 |
| Madison, WI | 11.3% | 363,300 | 404,200 |
| Raleigh, NC | 19.3% | 524,200 | 625,600 |
| Fort Collins, CO | 22.8% | 137,100 | 168,400 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 12.0% | 281,000 | 314,800 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 15.0% | 2,079,600 | 2,392,400 |
| Iowa City, IA | 15.0% | 90,200 | 103,700 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 17.9% | 928,800 | 1,095,300 |
| Columbia, MO | 12.1% | 90,100 | 101,000 |
| Ames, IA | 13.3% | 47,500 | 53,800 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 8.8% | 3,026,900 | 3,292,600 |
| Lawrence, KS | 3.3% | 52,100 | 53,800 |
| Ithaca, NY | 13.0% | 58,300 | 65,900 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 11.2% | 201,600 | 224,100 |
| Corvallis, OR | 11.5% | 38,400 | 42,800 |
| Boulder, CO | 14.7% | 166,800 | 191,400 |
