Auburn ranked 25 out of 200 in a Forbes analysis of the best small places for business and careers.
Forbes combined data on job growth rates, net migration, the cost of doing business, projected economic growth, the education of the workforce and several other factors to create a ranking of small metros across the nation.
The Forbes analysis said Auburn's gross local product was more than $6 billion, with a cost of living 8 percent below the national average and a job growth rate of 3.2 percent. Additionally, more than a third of Auburn residents are college-educated, according to the report.
"As the principal city of the Auburn-Opelika MSA, the City of Auburn has long had a strategy of strengthening and diversifying the economy by recruiting small to medium-sized, value-added, technology-based manufacturing firms," Auburn Director of Public Affairs David D. Dorton wrote in a news release.
"The City’s investment in industrial development has resulted in announcements of approximately 6,200 jobs and more than $1.4 billion in capital investment since 1994. The City of Auburn Economic Development Department's workforce division has been recognized with eight regional, national and international awards in workforce development."
Auburn was one of several Alabama cities on the list. Others included Daphne (17), Tuscaloosa (63), Florence (181), Decatur (183), Gadsden (184), Anniston (187) and Dothan (194).
The news comes about a month after the Milken Institute, an economic think tank, ranked Auburn among the top 10 best-performing small cities.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
