What the 2025 Best-Performing Cities Tell Us About Community Impact

What does it take for a city to thrive today, not just economically but in ways that sustain opportunity and belonging?

The Milken Institute’s 2025 Best-Performing Cities report offers a data-driven look at the places doing just that. Ranking 403 U.S. metropolitan areas, the report identifies where economic growth, innovation and access to opportunity are aligning, and where communities are still catching up.

Why rankings like this matter

Cities are the nation’s engines of prosperity, producing more than 90 percent of U.S. economic growth. Yet behind every upward trendline is a question of who benefits. The Milken report measures not only job creation and wages, but also affordability, housing access and the presence of high-tech sectors that shape long-term resilience.

Although the index focuses on economic indicators, its implications for equity and access are clear: Sustained growth depends on communities where education, housing and opportunity reach people across demographics.

What the 2025 data shows

Raleigh, North Carolina, claimed the top spot among large metros in the 2025 ranking, followed by Austin, Nashville and Boise. Each blends a strong job market, a growing high-tech presence and a comparatively moderate cost of living. Smaller metros such as Logan, Utah, and Idaho Falls also performed well, showing that innovation and growth are not confined to major urban centers.

While these top-ranking metros vary in size and geography, their common thread is intentionality, including investing in infrastructure, education and partnerships that translate growth into shared prosperity.

Linking economic health and community well-being

When cities do well, communities do well. Rising regional performance often translates into more stable jobs, greater access to small-business capital and higher civic participation — the very measures that strengthen community identity and resilience.

Employers, educators and civic leaders each play a role in this cycle. Strong metro performance often means greater access to skilled talent, stronger small-business ecosystems and new pathways for civic engagement. Conversely, when affordability declines or opportunity narrows, organizations can help stabilize communities — supporting employees, offering training and building partnerships that keep growth inclusive.

How to turn data into action

The Best-Performing Cities report offers a roadmap for community and business leaders who want to align growth with shared opportunity. A few ways to use it:

• Know your metro’s story. Review how your region ranks in job growth, high-tech concentration and housing affordability.

• Spot opportunity gaps. Identify where economic progress may not reach every neighborhood and consider how partnerships can bridge those gaps.

• Connect workforce and community goals. If a metro’s growth hinges on technology or entrepreneurship, local initiatives can help people build the skills to grow alongside it.

• Celebrate progress locally. Sharing data-based insights can reinforce pride in place and strengthen civic collaboration.
  

Consider asking: What does our city’s performance say about the opportunities we can help expand, and where can we lead by example?

Looking ahead

The Milken Institute’s findings underscore that economic success and community well-being are deeply connected. Thriving regions depend on leaders in business, government, education and the nonprofit sector who work together to turn growth into shared opportunity.