The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), a DC-based think tank aligned with "Third Way" section of the Democratic Party, has released its Metropolitan New Economy Index for the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas, authored by Robert D. Atkinson and Paul D. Gottlieb. Seventeen economic indicators are used to measure metro area progress in adapting to change. The report contends that future economic success will increasingly be determined by how effectively states and metro areas can spur technological innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and specialized skills, and by the transition of all organizations - public and private - from bureaucratic hierarchies into learning networks. Finally, the report discusses economic development strategies for metropolitan areas and states, including co-investing in workforce skills, co-investing in an innovation infrastructure, promoting innovation and customer-oriented government, fostering a digital economy, and expanding civic collaboration.

The top 10 metro areas areas according to this report are:

1 San Francisco
2 Austin
3 Seattle
4 Raleigh-Durham
5 San Diego
6 Washington
7 Denver
8 Boston
9 Salt Lake City
10 Minneapolis

For more info:

Download the full report (as a 52-page in PDF)

Read the report on screen

A map of the rankings

Visit the PPI main website