Louisiana, Alexandria Improve in Milken Ratings

Both Louisiana and the Alexandria MSA fare very well in the 2009 Milken Institute Index of Best Performing Cities.

Lafayette tops the four Louisiana cities that are ranked in the Top 200 Largest Cities section of the Index, jumping from 14th to 9th place. Baton Rouge moved up from 40th to 18th, and Shreveport-Bossier City jumped from 67th to 24th. The New Orleans MSA showed continued rebuilding progress, rising from 151st to 84th in the Index.

The smallest 124 metro areas are ranked separately, and Alexandria ranks 31st on the new list, jumping all the way from 78th in the 2008 Index. The Houma-Thibodaux area is Louisiana's highest ranked small metro area at 19th, but it actually dropped three spots from the 2008 rankings. The Lake Charles region is up to 52nd (from 74th), and the Monroe region is at 96th, up from 109th.

The Alexandria region shows up at #32 among small metros for five-year job growth (2003-2008), but at #7 for one-year job growth (2007-2008). The region ranks 27th for five-year wages growth (2002-2007), and at 10th for one-year wages growth (2006-2007). More recent numbers show the effects of the recession's delayed path into Cenla, with job growth for March 2008 to March 2009 showing a -1.28%, and a ranking of 39th among small metros.

The region's relative lack of technology-driven growth shows up in the Index's four high-tech indicators, where Cenla is ranked between 97th and 120th among the 124 smallest metros.

All of this represents good news in terms of Louisiana's and Cenla's relative stability during the global economic downturn. However, the low technology rankings show vividly the challenge we face as we try to move Cenla into the knowledge economy.