The Huntsville Times

 

City's Business Climate Among Best

The Huntsville Times, by Wayne Smith and Marian Accardi

Concentration of engineers, 'Vitality' noted in rankings

Huntsville's 'Vital Signs' continue to look strong.

In a Wall Street Journal feature Monday measuring how cities and states compare on various measures of development, Huntsville was ranked No. 1 among metro areas in the number of engineers per 1,000 population.

The city also ranked eighth among metro areas for "Business Vitality."

The national rankings are the latest among several recently for Huntsville.

"Each distinction reveals that the environment in Huntsville is perfect for establishing and growing a business," Huntsville Mayor Loretta spencer said.

Huntsville is No. 8 among the top 50 (out of 379) metro areas in the "Business Vitality" index devised by Moody's Economy.com

The index rates the overall economic vitality of a metro area by looking at a range of factors rather than just one measure. The index takes into account current economic conditions such as household income growth, factors that affect prospective conditions including labor availability and regional cost structure, and potential risks such as employment volatility.

The top 10: Austin, Texas; Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Corvallis, Ore.; Raleigh, N.C.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Boise City, Idaho; Orlando, Fla.; Huntsville; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Fargo, N.D.

In the Journal's "Vital Signs" feature Monday, Huntsville was ranked first in the number of architectural and other engineers per 1,000 population — 41.4 — in 2006.

Huntsville led 10 metro areas, including San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., 31.2; Boulder, Colo., 28; Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla., 26.1; Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash., 22.9; Ann Arbor, Mich., 21.9; Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Fla., 20.3; Sheboygan, Wis., 18.4; Albuquerque, N.M., 16.6; and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich., 16.

The source of data was the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau and Moody's Economy.com

"Ten years ago, we were lower in the rankings on most lists," Spencer said. "Huntsville is now earning a top rating on almost every ranking and has established its place in the nation's eyes as a city setting the pace of progress in many fields."

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