New Gallup Ranking Names Salt Lake as the Top Job Creating City
We’re Number 1! Mayor Ralph Becker pointed to a new Gallup ranking which named Salt Lake City the country’s top job creating city. The study cites Salt Lake City’s ongoing dominance in job creation- one of the leading goals of the City’s economic development efforts- as to why it was ranked #1.
The report noted that Utah’s Capital City is growing as an attractive destination for tech workers with not only salaries that are competing with much larger cities, but a much lower cost of living. Forbes Magazine also weighed in with a new feature about Salt Lake City’s economic strength, noting that among U.S. cities it is “…the new benchmark for business and quality of life” and, “is increasingly the place to be.”
“Salt Lake City’s economy is strong and the envy of other cities around the country,” said Mayor Becker. “I attribute this to the investments our community has made in transportation infrastructure projects like the Sugar House streetcar, major construction projects like the new Eccles Theater and Public Safety Building and many other efforts of my administration to make Salt Lake City the best place to live, work and play in the country.”
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Beyond the national accolades, more evidence of the city’s continued economic prowess can be seen in the high volume of building permits issued for local projects. In fact, the 2014 valuation for permits-in excess of $1.8 billion-is more than the past three years combined, and 2015 volumes, in value, are approaching $1.4 billion with more than eight months left to go in the year.
“While we appreciate the national attention Salt Lake City is getting and the outstanding economic indicators we see with the proliferation of new building permits, we also remain focused on continuing to launch new efforts to maintain and grow Salt Lake City’s economy,” said Mayor Becker.
To that end, Mayor Becker’s new EnterpriseSLC effort is bringing leaders of the local business community together, under the coordination of University of Utah economist Natalie Gochnour, to help the city take a close look at how to further expand on economic development efforts and continue to improve the City’s role in fostering successes.
“Everyone who lives, works and plays in Salt Lake City should be proud of the progress we’ve made since 2007, when the worst economic times since the Great Depression hit our city, the same year I took office,” said Mayor Becker. “There is a buzz about how fantastic Salt Lake City is and it’s no longer our best kept secret.”
