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Rankings

America's Thriving Cities, From Seattle to Boston (photos)

The top 20 urban capitals of American progress.

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Mlenny Photography; AWL Images; Corbis; AFP/Getty

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Forget Detroit—the economies of America’s cities have improved over the last year. They are still struggling to revive their workforces, and the housing market rebound has been slow, but there are some bright urban spots worth highlighting.

 

To find the country’s top 20 thriving cities, we looked at the 100 largest cities in the U.S. and compared them in categories of population growth (20 percent), employment and earnings (30 percent), market strength (20 percent), infrastructure (15 percent), and intellectual capital (15 percent) and weighted them accordingly. We used data from the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Equality of Opportunity Project, Moody’s Credit Services, Zillow, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mlenny Photography; AWL Images; Corbis; AFP/Getty

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Population change: 8.50%

Unemployment rate: 4.6%

Population living above poverty line: 88%

Credit rating: n/a

Change in median home price: 15%

Avg. annual patents: 1,038

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 27%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 26

David McNew/Getty

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Population change: 3.20%

Unemployment rate: 7.6%

Population living above poverty line: 88%

Credit rating: Aa1, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 27%

Avg. annual patents: 5,687

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 13%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 12

Proehl Studios/Corbis

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Population change: 3.70%

Unemployment rate: 5.3%

Population living above poverty line: 94%

Credit rating: n/a

Change in median home price: 15%

Avg. annual patents: 2,080

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 23%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 17

David Sailors

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Population change: 6.60%

Unemployment rate: 5.4%

Population living above poverty line: 80%

Credit rating: Aaa

Change in median home price: 12%

Avg. annual patents: 2,698

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 17%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 57

C Flanigan/Getty

galleries/2013/08/19/america-s-thriving-cities-from-seattle-to-boston/130817-san-fran_qodzmh

 

Population change: 2.60%

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

Population living above poverty line: 86%

Credit rating: Aa1, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 4%

Avg. annual patents: 2,873

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 20%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 17

Brian Jannsen/Corbis

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Population change: 4.30%

Unemployment rate: 4.8%

Population living above poverty line: 85%

Credit rating: Aaa, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 8%

Avg. annual patents: 2,322

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 23%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 27

Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty

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Population change: 4.70%

Unemployment rate: 6.0%

Population living above poverty line: 93%

Credit rating: Aaa

Change in median home price: 12%

Avg. annual patents: 790

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 19%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 57

David A. Harvey/Getty

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Population change: 6.10%

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

Population living above poverty line: 93%

Credit rating: AA (Standard and Poor's)

Change in median home price: 24%

Avg. annual patents: 259

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 11%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 51.1

Justin Sullivan/Getty

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Population change: 4.70%

Unemployment rate: 6.6%

Population living above poverty line: 79%

Credit rating: Aa1, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 74%

Avg. annual patents: 268

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 10%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 67

Getty

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Population change: 2.80%

Unemployment rate: 7.3%

Population living above poverty line: 84%

Credit rating: Aa3, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 16%

Avg. annual patents: 2,679

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 16%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 19

Donald Miralle/Getty

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Population change: 5.10%

Unemployment rate: 8.9%

Population living above poverty line: 81%

Credit rating: Aa2

Change in median home price: 14%

Avg. annual patents: 198

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 29%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 27

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty

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Population change: 4.00%

Unemployment rate: 6.0%

Population living above poverty line: 90%

Credit rating: Aaa, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 35%

Avg. annual patents: 494

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 15%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 51

Jason Reed/REUTERS

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Population change: 5.70%

Unemployment rate: 7.7%

Population living above poverty line: 82%

Credit rating: Aaa, stable outlook (Denver City & County)

Change in median home price: 15%

Avg. annual patents: 289

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 18%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 42

Doug Pensinger/Getty

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Population change: 3.00%

Unemployment rate: 5.1%

Population living above poverty line: 81%

Credit rating: Aaa, Stable Outlook

Change in median home price: 6%

Avg. annual patents: 385

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 25%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 9

Henryk Sadura

galleries/2013/08/19/america-s-thriving-cities-from-seattle-to-boston/130817-scottsdale-az_dxjf2h

  

Population change: 2.80%

Unemployment rate: 6.1%

Population living above poverty line: 91%

Credit rating: Aaa, Stable Outlook

Change in median home price: 13%

Avg. annual patents: 392

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 21%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 51

Matt York/AP

galleries/2013/08/19/america-s-thriving-cities-from-seattle-to-boston/130817-boston_vqtvyt

  

Population change: 3.10%

Unemployment rate: 7.8%

Population living above poverty line: 77%

Credit rating: Aaa, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 16%

Avg. annual patents: 562

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 19%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 10

Jean-Pierre Lescourret/Corbis

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Population change: 4.20%

Unemployment rate: 6.2%

Population living above poverty line: 85%

Credit rating: Aaa, Negative Outlook

Change in median home price: 25%

Avg. annual patents: 138

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 13%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100):  57

Lindsay Hebberd/Corbis

galleries/2013/08/19/america-s-thriving-cities-from-seattle-to-boston/130817-raleigh-nc_mjpfqr

 

Population change: 4.80%

Unemployment rate: 6.9%

Population living above poverty line: 83%

Credit rating: Aaa

Change in median home price: 9%

Avg. annual patents: 973

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 16%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 92

Mlenny Photography

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Population change: 2.70%

Unemployment rate: 5.3%

Population living above poverty line: 76%

Credit rating: Aa1, stable outlook

Change in median home price: 18%

Avg. annual patents: 619

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 17%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): 17

Walter Bibikow / AWL Images

galleries/2013/08/19/america-s-thriving-cities-from-seattle-to-boston/130817-lincoln-nebraska_h8u0mg

 

Population change: 2.70%

Unemployment rate: 3.9%

Population living above poverty line: 84%

Credit rating: Aaa, Stable Outlook

Change in median home price: 3%

Avg. annual patents: 79

Adult pop. with advanced degree: 13%

Upward Mobility rank (out of 100): n/a

Michael C. Snell/Corbis

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