1. Oklahoma City - 91.042Ross Boettcher, World-Herald Staff Writer wrote:The Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area rode the strength of its low unemployment rate to third place in a new economic index measuring the health of 102 major metropolitan-area economies.
The On Numbers Economic Index, published for the first time this week by a division of American City Business Journals, found that of the ranked metro areas, the top eight, including Omaha, fall within a continental triangle that originates at three points — Houston, Pittsburgh and Denver.
Omaha's unemployment rate of 4.7 percent was “the best among all 102 metros,” wrote G. Scott Thomas, the author of the index report.
While Omaha has fared well in numerous economic and business rankings from various sources and publications, the On Numbers measure is slightly different in that it is calculated based on 18 different data points from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Housing Finance Agency over a multiyear period. Most indexes consider data from month to month or year to year while the On Numbers figures consider one-year, five-year and long-term changes.
2. Austin, Texas - 85.869
3. Omaha - 78.74
4. Pittsburgh - 76.859
5. Denver - 75.819
6. Houston - 75.523
7. Columbus, Ohio - 74.656
8. Tulsa, Okla. - 74.432
9. Boston - 73.072
10. Little Rock, Ark. - 71.338
