North Carolina home to 3 of the top 20 best-performing cities

A North Carolina city leapt bounds in an index of best performing cities because of the economic benefit of its military base.

The 2010 Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities Index ranks three North Carolina cities — including Fayetteville, which has the Fort Bragg military base — within the top 20 in performance.

This index, which excludes the nation’s largest cities, is an outcome measurement that takes into account the number, sustainability and quality of jobs, said Jennifer Manfre, spokeswoman for the institute.

“From 2003 we’ve jumped 144 places,” said Kristie Meave, spokeswoman for the Fayetteville–Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce.

Fayetteville made the biggest jump in the state from the past year, moving 13 spots up to 18.

The new spot represents the nationwide pattern of city success based on the presence of a military base.

The Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood area in Texas is ranked first by the index and also hosts an example of a successful military base.

Through Base Realignment and Closure — or BRAC — the government is providing more funding for Fort Bragg, and by 2011, it is expected to be the largest military base in the nation.

Meave said the population in Fayetteville, which is expected to increase by 50,000, has been a challenge, but officials are trying to grow in an organized and efficient way.

The needs of the rising population are expected to be met by an increase in jobs that are not army-related in order to properly manage the community.

The Raleigh–Cary metropolitan area is ranked seventh and is leading North Carolina cities, moving up three spots from 2009.

Harvey Schmitt, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce’s president and chief executive officer, said N.C. cities’ performance might be attributed to the types of industries in the area. Unlike the rest of the state, the regions are not dependent on manufacturing jobs.

“Raleigh and Cary, and actually the entire region, continues to be recognized as an important and successful economic environment,” Schmitt said. “Getting this recognition helps the market attract talent.”

Goals for the Raleigh–Cary area continue to be employment and growth, he said.

Despite the high ranking, Schmitt said Raleigh-Cary might face challenges in accountability in the educational and governmental sectors.

As for Durham, despite placing in the top 20 at number 15, it fell nine spots from last year’s number six.

The Durham Chamber of Commerce declined to comment.

Texas and North Carolina are the only two states to have more than one city rank in the top 25 — 11 of the top 25 cities are Texan.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.