Greenville, NC has made it into the top 10 on the Milken Institute's annual Best-Performing Cities Index. The city moved up the Best-Performing Small Cities list from #14 in 2013 to #9 in the just released 2014 list.

“We are honored to be recognized by a prestigious organization such as the Milken Institute,” stated Carl Rees, Economic Development Manager of the City of Greenville’s Office of Economic Development. “As a fast rising university-medical community, you can find yourself in good company to do business, advance your education, or raise a family in Greenville, North Carolina.”

The Milken Institute’s annual Best-Performing Cities Index ranks 200 large and 179 small US metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. To give a good indication of the structural performance of regional economics, the Milken Institute uses several components in their evaluation including job, wage and salary, and technology growth.

“Rankings like this suggest our private investment community and elected officials are making concerted decisions that drive economic growth and increase wages,” stated Bianca Shoneman, Executive Director of Uptown Greenville. “As local prosperity improves, one of the best examples of the indirect effects is the impact on the construction and real estate industries. Uptown Greenville over the last few years has seen an increase in high tech jobs, construction, and increased real estate sales.” 

According to the Milken Institute’s report the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) moved up four spots from 2013 to ninth place in 2014 due in large part to Greenville's strong high-tech GDP concentration; that solid one-year wage growth and more recent job growth signals that Greenville's economy is on the rise.

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank determined to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs, and improve health through independent, data-driven research, action-oriented meetings, and meaningful policy initiatives.

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