Forbes Ranks Auburn Among America’s Best Small Cities for Business and Careers
October 5, 2010
Auburn, Ala. – Forbes.com has ranked Auburn as the #6 Best Small City for Business and Careers. The top 25 cities were chosen out of 184 metropolitan statistical areas with populations under 245,000. Forbes considered 12 factors including costs (both living and business), job growth (past and projected), income growth, educational attainment and projected economic growth. Other factors included quality of life issues like low crime, cultural and recreational opportunities and migration trends.
“Auburn is the only city located in the deep south named in the ranking, and it’s no stranger to the list,” Mayor Bill Ham, Jr. said. “We have moved up four spots from last year, and we’re excited that the national media is noticing just how much Auburn has going for it,” he added. Earlier this year, Auburn was ranked as a 2010 top 10 job growth market by Businessweek Magazine.
Alabama jobless rate drops again to 8.9 percent
By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Alabama
10.22.10
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s unemployment rate declined for the fifth consecutive month to 8.9 percent in September, the nation’s biggest drop in unemployment by any state over the last year, officials announced Friday.
State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said the September rate is down from 9.2 percent in August and is significantly below the 10.7 percent recorded a year ago.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that Alabama’s drop of 1.8 percentage points was the nation’s biggest drop in unemployment of any state over the last 12 months.
Alabama’s unemployment rate has been declining each month since measuring 11 percent in April, and the new rate is the lowest recorded in Alabama in 1 1/2 years.
“This sharp decline is a positive sign our economy is getting back on track and Alabama is headed in the right direction,” Gov. Bob Riley said Friday.
The governor said Alabama is working with more potential new industries than at any time in the last few years and he expects a major economic announcement next week.
Alabama’s unemployment rate was below the national figure of 9.6 percent and was better than any of Alabama’s neighbors. Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Florida at 11.9 percent, Georgia at 10.0 percent, Mississippi at 9.8 percent, and Tennessee at 9.4 percent.
For September, much of Alabama’s improvement resulted from hiring for education jobs.