[magellan]

Originally Posted by northstar22

Winter tourism could still work. Skiing, snowshoeing, etc.

It does "work," it's just not very big. Snowmobiling too.

[timeofseasons]

This is great news, however when all cities are included Michigan cities do not rank among the top 101
1 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 93.8 129.0 4 3
2 Bismarck, ND 92.8 63.0 2 0
3 El Paso, TX 92.5 281.2 25 22
4 College Station-Bryan, TX 92.3 98.5 3 -1
5 Midland, TX 90.8 69.2 62 57
6 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 89.1 769.3 9 3
7 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 88.9 522.6 294 287
8 Dubuque, IA 88.6 56.6 93 85
9 Manhattan, KS 88.3 57.0
10 Pascagoula, MS 85.4 58.7 30 20
11 Odessa, TX 84.1 61.8 87 76
12 Corpus Christi, TX 82.5 179.1 38 26
13 Logan, UT-ID 82.2 54.4 110 97
14 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 82.1 2552.3 21 7
15 Fairbanks, AK 81.0 37.7 42 27
16 Elizabethtown, KY 81.0 47.6 103 87
17 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 80.7 841.3 12 -5
18 Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 80.6 2043.4 44 26
19 Jacksonville, NC 80.5 47.2 1 -18
20 Lawton, OK 80.5 44.0 7 -13
21 Lebanon, PA 80.5 50.1 106 85
22 Anchorage, AK 79.8 170.7 18 -4
23 Longview, TX 79.4 97.0 140 117
24 Joplin, MO 79.1 79.8 105 81
25 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA 79.0 99.2 16 -9
26 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 78.9 105.3 192 166
27 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 78.7 223.4 28 1
28 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 77.9 127.2 31 3
29 Columbia, MO 77.2 93.4 32 3
30 Auburn-Opelika, AL 77.0 53.3 79 49
31 Clarksville, TN-KY 76.6 83.4 124 93
32 San Angelo, TX 76.4 44.9 85 53
33 Morgantown, WV 76.4 65.4 17 -16
34 Wheeling, WV-OH 76.2 67.9 81 47
35 Ithaca, NY 76.1 65.6 24 -11
36 Jonesboro, AR 75.9 49.2 43 7
37 Springfield, IL 74.6 111.7 59 22
38 Fargo, ND-MN 74.6 122.4 8 -30
39 Grand Forks, ND-MN 74.4 54.0 37 -2
40 Corvallis, OR 74.2 38.1 274 234
41 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 74.1 2412.6 47 6
42 Cumberland, MD-WV 73.8 39.9 128 86
43 Northern Virginia, VA 73.8 1306.5 35 -8
44 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 73.5 92.7 145 101
45 Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 73.5 53.7 60 15
46 Warner Robins, GA 73.3 59.7 26 -20
47 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 73.2 38.6 36 -11
48 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 73.1 742.9 217 169
49 Waco, TX 73.0 105.8 41 -8
50 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 72.9 133.6 68 18
51 Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 72.7 110.8 199 148
52 New York City, NY 72.6 3731.4 89 37
53 Harrisonburg, VA 72.6 62.7 69 16
54 Iowa City, IA 72.6 90.5 27 -27
55 Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH NECTA Division 72.3 76.5 65 10
56 Las Cruces, NM 72.3 69.1 33 -23
57 Johnstown, PA 71.9 60.7 129 72
58 Philadelphia City, PA 71.9 661.8 112 54
59 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR 71.9 56.9 76 17
60 Eau Claire, WI 71.7 80.4 181 121
61 Pittsburgh, PA 71.7 1129.8 111 50
62 Bowling Green, KY 71.6 59.7 260 198
63 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 71.4 201.9 75 12
64 Great Falls, MT 71.3 35.6 22 -42
65 State College, PA 71.2 74.4 29 -36
66 Yakima, WA 71.2 76.5 11 -55
67 Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA 71.1 19.5 20 -47
68 Gainesville, GA 71.1 72.8 241 173
69 Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA 70.7 113.1 193 124
70 Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 70.7 565.3 114 44
71 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 70.4 1679.0 133 62
72 St. Cloud, MN 69.9 99.0 74 2
73 Williamsport, PA 69.8 52.6 203 130
74 Laredo, TX 69.7 88.4 95 21
75 New Bedford, MA NECTA 69.4 64.9 137 62
76 Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 69.3 87.7 200 124
77 Glens Falls, NY 69.1 53.0 50 -27
78 Sandusky, OH 68.9 35.5 206 128
79 Ocean City, NJ 68.6 36.3 131 52
80 Hattiesburg, MS 68.6 59.3 14 -66
81 Cedar Rapids, IA 68.6 137.5 48 -33
82 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 68.3 338.8 92 10
83 Raleigh-Cary, NC 67.8 500.0 54 -29
84 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 67.8 850.0 49 -35
85 Tyler, TX 67.7 93.3 67 -18
86 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 67.5 176.7 73 -13
87 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 67.3 94.1 98 11
88 Owensboro, KY 67.3 49.8 149 61
89 Amarillo, TX 67.2 110.8 56 -33
90 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC 67.1 283.8 136 46
91 Elmira, NY 67.1 40.1 219 128
92 Rochester, NY 66.7 506.9 122 30
93 Altoona, PA 66.7 60.5 118 25
94 Knoxville, TN 66.5 325.5 187 93
95 Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 66.4 92.2 113 18
96 Sioux Falls, SD 66.3 133.0 51 -45
97 Rapid City, SD 65.9 59.3 55 -42
98 Provo-Orem, UT 65.9 180.3 148 50
99 Pueblo, CO 65.7 57.1 34 -65
100 Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 65.5 1232.2 120 20
101 Lincoln, NE 65.3 171.5 66 -35

[magellan]

Originally Posted by timeofseasons

This is great news, however when all cities are included Michigan cities do not rank among the top 101

What do you mean, "when all cities are included?" You can't compare small, medium and large cities together, a neither did the study. A small city of 25,000 might grow by 1000 jobs, and that might be a big percentage (but not really that notable). North Dakota consistently ranks as a fast growing jobs state, because no one lives there.

And why highlight Iowa cities?

[timeofseasons]

Originally Posted by magellan

What do you mean, "when all cities are included?" You can't compare small, medium and large cities together, a neither did the study. A small city of 25,000 might grow by 1000 jobs, and that might be a big percentage (but not really that notable). North Dakota consistently ranks as a fast growing jobs state, because no one lives there.

And why highlight Iowa cities?

The ranking has a section for small, medium and large cities. The ranking also have a section where it combines all cities to rank them according to "best".

I highlighted Iowa cities because I am also a resident there, and it was a way for me to show the state of Iowa economy without going off topic.
( I could have done the same with Texas, which appears to dominate this list however it does not catch my interest as Michigan or Iowa)

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by magellan

Tourism is huge in Michigan, but mainly relegated to about 3 months a year. Not enough to support employment of a population of 10 Million people.

that i realize, magellan. but here's where I think your state misses the mark. Unless i'm wrong, most of that tourism advertising goes strongly to the midwest. again, as i noted elsewhere, Chicago gets an awful lot of it, and it is always money well spent......obviously in Harbor Country, but really straight up the coast in the LP.

Problem is, IMHO, is that Michigan doesn't do enough selling itself on the east coast. take those summer months. I would argue that the coast lines on the Great Lakes (particularly Lake Michigan) is an attraction that could easily compete with areas like Cape Cod. Lake Michigan's waters are warmer in the summer and you have those mile after mile of open beachfront.

Look, U-M has never been a stranger to the east coast and all those east coast kids find it attractive that getting to Ann Arbor is not all that hard from the seaboard. Seems to me that you guys could get a draw for tourism the same way.

I made this observation earlier: the Mackinaw area, both island and mainland is spectacular. Yet when I was there, I couldn't believe how headily the percentage of cars were from Michigan. I know there is a remoteness to the region, but the attraction is far to great to not have more midwesterners and truthfully, people from the northeast and the south central states as well.

In some respects, those areas around where the UP and LP meet could be as attraction weather wise for southerners in the summer as Florida can be in the winter (ok...not to THAT degree...but you get the point).

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by timeofseasons

The ranking has a section for small, medium and large cities. The ranking also have a section where it combines all cities to rank them according to "best".

I highlighted Iowa cities because I am also a resident there, and it was a way for me to show the state of Iowa economy without going off topic.
( I could have done the same with Texas, which appears to dominate this list however it does not catch my interest as Michigan or Iowa)

I think the OP was highlighting the TREND for Michigan cities. Some Michigan cities are moving up in rankings which is a positive trend, when they used to be in the bottom percentile of all catagories a few years back. In a few years they may make a further jump in the rankings. The TREND is the positive news......in order to move up to the top from the bottom you have to first go through the middle.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by timeofseasons

The ranking has a section for small, medium and large cities. The ranking also have a section where it combines all cities to rank them according to "best".

I highlighted Iowa cities because I am also a resident there, and it was a way for me to show the state of Iowa economy without going off topic.
( I could have done the same with Texas, which appears to dominate this list however it does not catch my interest as Michigan or Iowa)

I understand they have a ranking that combines them all, but there's also a reason why most statisticians and economists separate these rankings into city size. In "mid-sized" cities, 3 Michigan cities rank pretty well (and showed improvement). You just can't compare job outlooks in a city of 20,000 with those of a city of 200,000. It would be like comparing population growth in Phoenix with Johannesburg South Africa.

You might have an interest in Iowa, but most other people don't. But thanks for sharing your reasoning.