REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-List: Areas with the Best and Worst Economies

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Search REALTORMag...

OR FOCUS YOUR SEARCH

NEWS & COMMENTARY

Inside For Brokers

Connect

Social Networking

Follow, fan, or friend us online.

Your Magazine

Magnifying your voice and celebrating your accomplishments

CURRENT ISSUE

PAST ISSUES

Daily Real Estate News | June 18, 2009 | List: Areas with the Best and Worst Economies
Thirty-eight of the country’s top 100 metro areas avoided declines in home prices in the past year, reports the Brookings Institution’s quarterly MetroMonitor, which tracks indicators of economic recession and recovery in these areas.

Areas with stable home prices were concentrated in the less-affected parts of what Brookings calls the “Manufacturing Belt,” Pennsylvania and upstate New York, and the Sun Belt: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. These areas also had below average shares of properties affected by foreclosure.

Cities whose economies were the strongest had businesses involved in oil and gas exploration, military employment, education, and government.

Here are the top 10 and the bottom 10 metro areas, according to how MetroMonitor ranked their economic health:

Top 10
1. San Antonio
2. Oklahoma City
3. Austin
4. Houston
5. Dallas
6. McAllen, Tex.
7. Little Rock, Ark.
8. Baton Rouge, La.
9. Tulsa, Okla.
10. Omaha, Neb.

Bottom 10
1. Providence, R.I.
2. Toledo, Ohio
3. Stockton, Calif.
4. Fresno, Calif.
5. Modesto, Calif.
6. Jacksonville
7. Lakeland, Fla.
8. Tampa
9. Bradenton, Fla.
10. Detroit

Source: The Brookings Institution (06/17/2009)