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WE'RE NUMBER 4!

April 09, 2007

Forbes Magazine just came out with a list ranking which U.S. Cities are "Best Places For Business And Careers." Des Moines placed at #4, just ahead of Knoxville, Tenesseee (heh). The rankings focused on business costs, living costs, workforce education, crime rates, and job and income growth.

Looking at the detail, Des Moines doesn't do exceptionally well in any of the areas rated; it's best score is #50 in "Educational Attainment" out of the top 200 metro areas. Yet it isn't awful in any single area, with its worst ranking 117 for its crime rate.

Source: Forbes.com

There are a lot of good things about Des Moines. The 10-minute commute is pretty sweet, and compared to places like Chicago, or even Minneapolis, housing is cheap.

In its ranking of states, in contrast, Forbes ranks Iowa #25, and number 41 in "growth prospects." It might have something to do with our being the worst state for small business by one ranking. Short commutes are nice, but they don't make up for high and complex taxes and a rapidly worsening political environment for business.

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