Idaho Falls ranked #1 as “best performing city”

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - A California-based economic think-tank has given Idaho Falls its top ranking among Best-Performing Cities in 2021.    

Milken Institute recognized the city as #1 on its Tier 1 analysis of small U.S. cities.  

In a news release, the group stated:

“The area’s high-tech industry presence, which includes employers like the Idaho National Laboratory and Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, drove job growth and contributed to its strong performance.”

Other cities on the list also ranked high due to high levels of job and wage growth.

Milken stated that large cities in the intermountain west and in the south are outperforming many areas on the coasts based on areas like job creation, wage growth, and innovation industry metrics.

“Being included in the Milken Institute’s Index among small cities comes as a high honor because these rankings are based on meaningful data,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “Idaho Falls has been focused on connectivity and housing, two of the Milken Institute’s new categories for consideration.”    

Casper said the COVID-19 pandemic called attention to the importance of connectivity to the future.

“People need not be tethered to desirable jobs in large cities as they once were,” Casper added. “Instead, they’re relocating to places like Idaho Falls that give them a better quality of life and a lower cost of living.” You can review the full Milken Institute report here.