Cincinnati improves as one of "America's Best Performing Cities"

Noted urban guru Richard Florida offers his take of the 2014 edition of the Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities study, which rates 200 large and 179 small metros on key measures of job growth, wage and salary growth and the size and concentration of high tech industry. "The study shows how the recovery has been concentrated in — and, indeed, has revolved around — what I have dubbed the twin pillars of America’s knowledge/energy economy," Florida writes, "with the best performers being energy centers and tech hubs."

San Francisco rated the #1 best performing large U.S. metro area in 2014, followed by Austin, Tex.; Provo, Utah; San Jose, Calif.; and Raleigh, N.C. Nine of the top 10 large cities were in California, Texas or Utah. The top-rated small metro area was Fargo, N.D., followed by Columbus, Ind.

Cincinnati made the list of biggest gainers between 2013 and 2014 among large cities, improving 45 spots to #68 — placing the Tristate around the top third of all large metro areas.

"Ultimately, the report paints a clearer picture of America’s geographically uneven recovery," Florida writes, "where tech hubs and energy centers prosper while older manufacturing and construction driven metros continue to falter."

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