Since 2008, 13 municipalities have filed for bankruptcy. With Detroit’s bankruptcy trial approaching, and many other cities still struggling to recover from the Great Recession, personal finance social network WalletHub crunched the numbers to identify 2014's Most & Least Recession-Recovered Cities.
To evaluate the progress of local cities in propelling their economic growth, WalletHub compared the 150 largest U.S. cities to identify those that have experienced the most and least improvement since the recession. Using 18 key metrics — from the inflow of college-educated workers and number of new businesses to unemployment rates and home price appreciation — we examined how each city has evolved economically in the past several years. By doing so, WalletHub can help consumers assess how their present financial situations might be affected by the economic health of their cities.
| Most Recession-Recovered Cities | Least Recession-Recovered Cities | ||||
| 1. | Laredo, TX | 141. | Riverside, CA | ||
| 2. | Irving, TX | 142. | Tempe, AZ | ||
| 3. | Fayetteville, NC | 143. | Glendale, AZ | ||
| 4. | Denver, CO | 144. | Tucson, AZ | ||
| 5. | Dallas, TX | 145. | Cape Coral, FL | ||
| 6. | Corpus Christi, TX | 146. | Detroit, MI | ||
| 7. | Minneapolis, MN | 147. | Modesto, CA | ||
| 8. | Lubbock, TX | 148. | Newark, NJ | ||
| 9. | Garland, TX | 149. | Stockton, CA | ||
| 10. | Raleigh, NC | 150. | San Bernardino, CA | ||
Key Stats
- Mobile, Ala., experienced the largest increase in its unemployment rate, at 4%. Toledo, Ohio experienced the largest decrease, at 1%.
- Cape Coral, Fla., experienced the largest increase in its poverty rate, at 8%. El Paso, Texas, experienced the largest decrease, at 5%.
- New Orleans registered the highest home price appreciation, at 64%. Detroit registered the highest home price depreciation, with a loss of 65%.
- Raleigh, N. C. experienced the highest population growth rate, at 21%. Detroit experienced the highest decline, at 16%.
- Orlando, Fla., experienced the largest decrease in its violent crime rate, at 1%. Springfield, Mo., experienced the largest increase, at 0.3%.
- Corpus Christi, Texas, experienced the largest increase in GDP, at 30%. Cape Coral, Fla., experienced the largest decrease, at 6%.
For the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:
http://wallethub.com/edu/most-
Related Stories
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 23, 2010
Honeywell's School Energy and Environment Survey: 68% of districts delayed or eliminated improvements because of economy
Results of Honeywell's second annual “School Energy and Environment Survey” reveal that almost 90% of school leaders see a direct link between the quality and performance of school facilities, and student achievement. However, districts face several obstacles when it comes to keeping their buildings up to date and well maintained. For example, 68% of school districts have either delayed or eliminated building improvements in response to the economic downturn.
| Nov 16, 2010
Architecture Billings Index: inquiries for new projects remain extremely high
The new projects inquiry index was 61.7, down slightly from a nearly three-year high mark of 62.3 in September, according to the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). However, the ABI dropped nearly two points in October; the October ABI score was 48.7, down from a reading of 50.4 the previous month. The ABI reflects the approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.
| Nov 16, 2010
Brazil Olympics spurring green construction
Brazil's green building industry will expand in the coming years, spurred by construction of low-impact venues being built for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee requires arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low-carbon emissions and energy efficiency. This has boosted local interest in developing real estate with lower environmental impact than existing buildings. The timing couldn’t be better: the Brazilian government is just beginning its long-term infrastructure expansion program.
| Nov 16, 2010
Green building market grows 50% in two years; Green Outlook 2011 report
The U.S. green building market is up 50% from 2008 to 2010—from $42 billion to $55 billion-$71 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction's Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth report. Today, a third of all new nonresidential construction is green; in five years, nonresidential green building activity is expected to triple, representing $120 billion to $145 billion in new construction.
| Nov 16, 2010
Calculating office building performance? Yep, there’s an app for that
123 Zero build is a free tool for calculating the performance of a market-ready carbon-neutral office building design. The app estimates the discounted payback for constructing a zero emissions office building in any U.S. location, including the investment needed for photovoltaics to offset annual carbon emissions, payback calculations, estimated first costs for a highly energy efficient building, photovoltaic costs, discount rates, and user-specified fuel escalation rates.
| Nov 16, 2010
CityCenter’s new Harmon Hotel targeted for demolition
MGM Resorts officials want to demolish the unopened 27-story Harmon Hotel—one of the main components of its brand new $8.5 billion CityCenter development in Las Vegas. In 2008, inspectors found structural work on the Harmon didn’t match building plans submitted to the county, with construction issues focused on improperly placed steel reinforcing bar. In January 2009, MGM scrapped the building’s 200 condo units on the upper floors and stopped the tower at 27 stories, focusing on the Harmon having just 400 hotel rooms. With the Lord Norman Foster-designed building mired in litigation, construction has since been halted on the interior, and the blue-glass tower is essentially a 27-story empty shell.
| Nov 16, 2010
Where can your firm beat the recession? Try any of these 10 places
Wondering where condos and rental apartments will be needed? Where companies are looking to rent office space? Where people will need hotel rooms, retail stores, and restaurants? Newsweek compiled a list of the 10 American cities best situated for economic recovery. The cities fall into three basic groups: Texas, the New Silicon Valleys, and the Heartland Honeys. Welcome to the recovery.
| Nov 16, 2010
Landscape architecture challenges Andrés Duany’s Congress for New Urbanism
Andrés Duany, founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism, adopted the ideas, vision, and values of the early 20th Century landscape architects/planners John Nolen and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., to launch a movement that led to more than 300 new towns, regional plans, and community revitalization project commissions for his firm. However, now that there’s a societal buyer’s remorse about New Urbanism, Duany is coming up against a movement that sees landscape architecture—not architecture—as the design medium more capable of organizing the city and enhancing the urban experience.
