Study: Springfield the best-performing metro in Missouri

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area is the best-performing economic growth region in the Show-Me State, according to a recent study by the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.

The Springfield metro area topped Missouri and ranked 53rd nationally on the 2016 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index. Examining 381 metro areas across the United States, the study’s metrics included jobs, wages and salaries, and technology growth, according to Best-Cities.org and a city news release.

Springfield, which placed 67th on last year’s Milken list, ranked:
    •    fifth in 2009-14 high-tech sector output growth.
    •    58th in 2013-14 wages and salaries growth;
    •    89th in 2009-14 wages and salaries growth;
    •    102nd in 2010-15 job growth; and
    •    105th in 2014-15 job growth.

“I believe our integrated approach to building a cohesive plan to develop the workforce has had an impact in our community,” said Mary Ann Rojas, Springfield’s workforce development director, in the release. “The Missouri Job Center’s one-stop shop model allows job seekers to connect more easily with employers, and we are doing a better job to prepare workers through training investment, apprenticeships and other activities.”

The San Jose, California, metro area topped Milken’s list. In Missouri, the Kansas City metro ranked 92nd and the St. Louis area ranked 128th, according to the report.

Earlier this month, financial data tracking firm SmartAsset named Springfield the only Missouri city on its list of the most entrepreneurial small and midsize metropolitan areas.