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Baton Rouge, LA

Baton Rouge, LA

Overall rank: 6

The construction industry is thriving in Baton Rouge, the state capital and home to Louisiana State University and Southern University. Firms are rushing to use special financing for post-Katrina hurricane recovery work, and new projects in the metro include a refinery in Plaquemine. Employment in the Baton Rouge metro peaked in the fourth quarter of 2007. Gross metropolitan product in the second quarter was down 3.6% from the peak in the second quarter of 2008. Home prices grew 3.3% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. And the unemployment rate in June was 7.4%, up 2.4 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: 4
Gross Metro Product (since peak) rank: 39
Unemployment change (year over year) rank: 10
Home price change (year over year) rank: 8