Idaho Falls Holding Steady at #11 in the Latest Milken Institute for Best Performing Small Cities (Pocatello: best cities)

[Mtn. States Resident]

For those who wonder if the growth in Idaho Falls is a bubble or real, here are some hard facts to back up what some of us have been saying. Please remember much like the "official population" of Idaho Falls, these numbers start anywhere from 2000 and end in March 2007. Please read your specific categories carefully.

For example between 2000 - 2005 the wages with Idaho Falls at 26/179 markets, during the year 2005-2006 job growth in Idaho Falls was 18/179 for small cities and the 5 year job growth in Idaho Falls (2001-2006) was 13/179.

The Milken Institute, a non-profit, independent, economic think tank just released the following numbers for small cities:

Idaho Falls, ID

Idaho Falls, ID (MSA)

Overall Rank: 11
MSA Population: 117,000

5-yr Job Growth (2001-2006)1 Score: 114.68 Rank: 13
1-yr Job Growth (2005-2006)2 Score: 102.33 Rank: 18
5-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2000-2005)3 Score: 114.75 Rank: 26
1-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2004-2005)4 Score: 106.09 Rank: 8
Job Growth (Mar06 - Mar07)5 Growth: 2.67 % Rank: 41
5-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2001-20066 Score: 100.17 Rank: 107
1-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2005-20067 Score: 89.98 Rank: 168
High-Tech GDP LQ - 20068 Score: 1.35 Rank: 5
# of HT GDP LQs Over 1 - 20069 Score: 6.0 Rank: 29





By comparison, Pocatello 50 miles south of Idaho Falls is # 58:


Pocatello, ID (MSA)

Overall Rank: 58
MSA Population: 86,000

5-yr Job Growth (2001-2006)1 Score: 103.92 Rank: 72
1-yr Job Growth (2005-2006)2 Score: 100.26 Rank: 72
5-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2000-2005)3 Score: 101.59 Rank: 97
1-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2004-2005)4 Score: 100.67 Rank: 52
Job Growth (Mar06 - Mar07)5 Growth: 2.33 % Rank: 51
5-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2001-20066 Score: 116.22 Rank: 55
1-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2005-20067 Score: 98.31 Rank: 102
High-Tech GDP LQ - 20068 Score: 0.67 Rank: 63
# of HT GDP LQs Over 1 - 20069 Score: 5.0 Rank: 50



A third small city in Idaho ranked in the top 10. Coeur d' Alene, in the northern Panhandle was ranked overall at #6.

Coeur d'Alene, ID (MSA)

Overall Rank: 6
MSA Population: 132,000

5-yr Job Growth (2001-2006)1 Score: 119.41 Rank: 6
1-yr Job Growth (2005-2006)2 Score: 103.28 Rank: 12
5-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2000-2005)3 Score: 120.97 Rank: 8
1-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2004-2005)4 Score: 103.71 Rank: 17
Job Growth (Mar06 - Mar07)5 Growth: 3.79 % Rank: 24
5-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2001-20066 Score: 139.24 Rank: 19
1-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2005-20067 Score: 98.32 Rank: 101
High-Tech GDP LQ - 20068 Score: 0.64 Rank: 68
# of HT GDP LQs Over 1 - 20069 Score: 5.0 Rank: 50

To see the list of small and big cities (and MSAs) check the link. You may be surprised to see how some cities did overall compared to previous years.

Milken Institute - Best Cities Index 2007

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by Mtn. States Resident

For those who wonder if the growth in Idaho Falls is a bubble or real, here are some hard facts to back up what some of us have been saying. Please remember much like the "official population" of Idaho Falls, these numbers start anywhere from 2000 and end in March 2007. Please read your specific categories carefully.

For example between 2000 - 2005 the wages with Idaho Falls at 26/179 markets, during the year 2005-2006 job growth in Idaho Falls was 18/179 for small cities and the 5 year job growth in Idaho Falls (2001-2006) was 13/179.

The Milken Institute, a non-profit, independent, economic think tank just released the following numbers for small cities:

Idaho Falls, ID

Idaho Falls, ID (MSA)

Overall Rank: 11
MSA Population: 117,000

5-yr Job Growth (2001-2006)1 Score: 114.68 Rank: 13
1-yr Job Growth (2005-2006)2 Score: 102.33 Rank: 18
5-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2000-2005)3 Score: 114.75 Rank: 26
1-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2004-2005)4 Score: 106.09 Rank: 8
Job Growth (Mar06 - Mar07)5 Growth: 2.67 % Rank: 41
5-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2001-20066 Score: 100.17 Rank: 107
1-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2005-20067 Score: 89.98 Rank: 168
High-Tech GDP LQ - 20068 Score: 1.35 Rank: 5
# of HT GDP LQs Over 1 - 20069 Score: 6.0 Rank: 29





By comparison, Pocatello 50 miles south of Idaho Falls is # 58:


Pocatello, ID (MSA)

Overall Rank: 58
MSA Population: 86,000

5-yr Job Growth (2001-2006)1 Score: 103.92 Rank: 72
1-yr Job Growth (2005-2006)2 Score: 100.26 Rank: 72
5-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2000-2005)3 Score: 101.59 Rank: 97
1-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2004-2005)4 Score: 100.67 Rank: 52
Job Growth (Mar06 - Mar07)5 Growth: 2.33 % Rank: 51
5-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2001-20066 Score: 116.22 Rank: 55
1-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2005-20067 Score: 98.31 Rank: 102
High-Tech GDP LQ - 20068 Score: 0.67 Rank: 63
# of HT GDP LQs Over 1 - 20069 Score: 5.0 Rank: 50



A third small city in Idaho ranked in the top 10. Coeur d' Alene, in the northern Panhandle was ranked overall at #6.

Coeur d'Alene, ID (MSA)

Overall Rank: 6
MSA Population: 132,000

5-yr Job Growth (2001-2006)1 Score: 119.41 Rank: 6
1-yr Job Growth (2005-2006)2 Score: 103.28 Rank: 12
5-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2000-2005)3 Score: 120.97 Rank: 8
1-yr Wages & Salaries Growth (2004-2005)4 Score: 103.71 Rank: 17
Job Growth (Mar06 - Mar07)5 Growth: 3.79 % Rank: 24
5-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2001-20066 Score: 139.24 Rank: 19
1-yr Relative HT GDP Growth 2005-20067 Score: 98.32 Rank: 101
High-Tech GDP LQ - 20068 Score: 0.64 Rank: 68
# of HT GDP LQs Over 1 - 20069 Score: 5.0 Rank: 50

To see the list of small and big cities (and MSAs) check the link. You may be surprised to see how some cities did overall compared to previous years.

Milken Institute - Best Cities Index 2007

I will get this cross-referenced on one of the basic Idaho Falls pages. If you are use to reading Milken reports, look for the variables that keep Idaho Falls in that #11 position. Job growth, increased pay for jobs and other.

I've seen the population figures - even projected for Pocatello in 2010. But, somehow seeing the the Idaho Falls MSA numbers on the same page as the Pocatello MSA numbers shows that almost 20K difference in workers in the 2 MSA areas. As some say, they believe Idaho Falls and Pocatello are the same size. That use to be the case, but not anymore.

Do any of you have other favorite indexes or charts you rely upon?