We’ve written often lately about our concern for the flagging Memphis regional economy.  Brookings Institution warns that “underneath the (economy’s) headline numbers, America’s progress remains uneven: economic divides are growing between the coasts and the heartland, technology and other sectors, and the rick and the poor.  This uneven progress reflects the accelerating pace of economic change that people and places across the nation now confront.”

Here’s the uneven progress faced by our MSA and more justification for a sense of urgency for a creative disruption of our economic development programs before Memphis falls further in the rankings of the United States’ 100 largest metro areas for 2011-16.

Here are the basics for the Memphis MSA and the rankings are for percentage of growth:

#81 – Overall Growth Indicators for Memphis MSA
#70 – Gross Metropolitan Product Growth
#69 – Jobs Growth
#87 – Jobs at Young Firms

Other Indicators for Memphis MSA:
 #52 – Productivity
#50 – Standard of Living
#83 – Average Annual Wage
#85 – Median Wage
#10 –  Poverty

Memphis Rankings with other metros:

Median Wage Growth –

#10 – Chattanooga MSA
#13 – Raleigh MSA
#14 – Austin MSA
#17 – Oklahoma City MSA
#22 – Atlanta MSA
#24 – St. Louis MSA
#25 – Indianapolis MSA
#30 – Louisville MSA
#43 – Charlotte MSA
#50 – New Orleans MSA
#59 – Little Rock MSA
#60 – Knoxville MSA
#65 – Detroit MSA
#67 – Jacksonville MSA
#74 – Nashville MSA
#77 – Birmingham MSA
#84 – Cleveland MSA
#85 – Memphis MSA
#92 – Baltimore MSA

Overall Growth –

#3 – Austin MSA
#5 – Nashville MSA
#14 – Charlotte MSA
#18 – Raleigh MSA
#23 – Atlanta MSA
#26 – Jacksonville MSA
#34 – Louisville MSA
#37 – Oklahoma City MSA
#40 – New Orleans MSA
#47 – Kansas City MSA
#48 – Indianapolis MSA
#49 – Detroit MSA
#59 – Baltimore MSA
#64 – Knoxville MSA
#66 – Chattanooga MSA
#71 – St. Louis MSA
#72 – Birmingham MSA
#81 – Memphis MSA
#84 – Cleveland MSA
#91 – Little Rock MSA

Gross Metropolitan Product Growth –

#3 – Austin MSA
#5 – Nashville MSA
#13 – Oklahoma City MSA
#14 – Raleigh MSA
#17 – Charlotte MSA
#23 – Atlanta MSA
#37 – Detroit MSA
#38 – Louisville MSA
#42 – Jacksonville MSA
#52 – Kansas City MSA
#54 – Knoxville MSA
#55 – Kansas City MSA
#55 – Indianapolis MSA
#66 – Chattanooga MSA
#69 – Baltimore MSA
#70 – Memphis MSA
#73 – St. Louis MSA
#74 – Birmingham MSA
#78 – Little Rock MSA
#82 – New Orleans MSA
#83 – Cleveland MSA

Source: Metro Monitor 2018, Brookings Institution

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