Here Are the Top 10 Most Prosperous Cities in the Country

An Arizona city was determined to be the most prosperous in the United States. Two other cities in the state made the top 10, while the most distressed cities tended to be in the Northeast and Midwest parts of the country.

Gilbert, Arizona, a city of approximately 240,000 people located about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix, was found to be the most prosperous among the nation’s 100 largest cities, according to a recent report released by the Economic Innovation Group.

Others in the top ten include Chandler and Scottsdale in Arizona; Plano and Austin in Texas; Irvine, San Francisco and San Jose in California; Henderson, Nevada; and Seattle, Washington.

Meanwhile, Cleveland, Ohio, topped the list of most distressed of the country’s 100 largest cities, followed by Newark, New Jersey; Buffalo, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Stockton, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Tucson, Arizona.

The EIG looked at seven factors in making its determination about a city’s economic status: median income as a percentage of the state’s median income, poverty rate, percentage of adults not working, change in employment, change in the percentage of business establishments, percentage of unoccupied houses and high school diploma attainment.

Gilbert had 99.9 percent of its population living in prosperous zip codes. The next closest on the list was Plano with 82.7 percent.

Meanwhile, Cleveland had 90.3 percent of its residents living in distressed zip codes, with Newark coming in second at 81 percent.

Among small and mid-sized cites, with populations less than 140,000, five communities in Texas made the top 10, and Colorado and Minnesota each scored two.

Perhaps not surprisingly, multiple cities named in the top 10 most prosperous also made the list of the hardest working, as compiled by CBS Money Watch last year.

These included Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, Plano, Austin and Seattle.

Garrick Taylor, who works for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Western Journalism, “It’s a coup to have three cities land in the top 10” most prosperous.

“That demonstrates a true desire at the local level to pursue public policy that attracts job creators,” he added.

Gilbert and Chandler, located adjacent to each other southeast of Phoenix, have become a tech hub with major employers including Intel, GoDaddy, PayPal, Orbital ATK, Verizon Wireless and Microchip Technology.

Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels was very pleased to learn of her city’s “most prosperous” designation.

“It’s an exciting time in Gilbert as our community is transitioning from a small town to a strong and booming community,” Daniels said. “The work of generations of community leaders and our smart financial planning has set Gilbert on a path of success and we are proud to be recognized as the most prosperous city in the country.”

As reported by Western Journalism, Intel — already the largest private employer in Arizona — announced earlier this year it is opening an additional microchip manufacturing facility in Chandler, creating 3,000 high-tech jobs and an additional 10,000 jobs in support of the operation. (For more from the author of “Here Are the Top 10 Most Prosperous Cities in the Country” please click HERE)

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