Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Overall rank: 23
Augusta, about 150 miles east of Atlanta, is a hub for military, manufacturing, and medicine. The city's educational institutions include Augusta State University, Augusta Technical College, Georgia Military College at Augusta, and the Medical College of Georgia. Employment in the Augusta metro peaked in the second quarter of last year. Gross metropolitan product in the second quarter was down just 2.9% from the peak in the second quarter of last year. Home prices grew 2.5% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. And the unemployment rate in June was 10.2%, up 3.9 points from a year earlier. (Please see below for the various criteria used by the Brookings Institution to determine the overall ranking.)
Job growth (since peak) rank: 55
Gross Metro Product (since peak) rank: 55
Unemployment change (year over year) rank: 54
Home price change (year over year) rank: 19
