Tech-Driven Metro Areas Lead 2015 GDP Growth

Tech-Driven Markets Are Driving Economic Growth The ongoing boom in the information technology sector, in areas including social media, cloud computing and cyber security, continues to fuel economic growth across the United States. Technology-driven markets dominate the list of fastest growing economies during 2015, with the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area topping the list of large economies with real GDP growth of 8.9 percent in 2015 (top chart). Other notable tech hot spots in the top 10 include the Raleigh metro area (up 7.0 percent), Austin (up 5.0 percent), Portland (up 4.6 percent) and San Francisco (up 4.1 percent). In addition, Denver’s GDP rose 4.0 percent in 2015, with contributions from both the tech and energy sectors

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Source: U.S. Department of Commerce and Wells Fargo Securities

Raleigh is the No. 3 best large U.S. city to live in

Raleigh is the third best large city to live in, according to a report by personal-finance website WalletHub.

The report evaluated the 62 largest United States cities based on 31 metrics, such as health and education system quality, tax burden, and economic growth. Raleigh earned a total score of 69.33, ranking 8th in livability, 8th in education, 15th in health and 2nd in local taxes and economy.

Raleigh is the third best large city to live in, according to personal-finance website… more

San Francisco and Seattle ranked 1st and 2nd on the list, respectively. Charlotte ranked 18th on the list.

Here's how Raleigh ranked in other metrics:

• Best cities to be a driver: 4th
• Best school system quality score: tied 2nd with San Diego, San Jose and Lexington
• Highest household income adjusted by cost of living: 2nd
• Most educated: 6th
• Percent of adults in excellent or very good health: 7th
• Job market: 11th
• Best large cities to start a business: 7th

WalletHub compared the cities with populations of more than 300,000 based on livability, education, health, and local economy and taxes. It evaluated these categories using the metrics, which were graded on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most favorable living conditions.

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Source: TBJ Raleigh/Durham