Colorado Springs just hit a major milestone, ranking 5th among large metro areas in the 2025 Best-Performing Cities index by the Milken Institute. This is the city’s highest ranking ever, thanks to solid job and wage growth.
Some key factors that boosted Colorado Springs’ score:
– Job growth ranked 24th from 2022 to 2023, a big jump from 97th the previous year. Over 4,000 new jobs and $1.7 billion in investment were announced.
– Wage growth in 2022-2023 ranked an impressive 15th among large cities, up from 78th previously.
– The professional services and government sectors drove much of this progress, but most major industries outperformed national averages.
The city also scored well for broadband access, economic resilience, and shared economic opportunities. However, housing affordability remains a challenge, with Colorado Springs ranking 126th for that metric among large metros.
Overall, this balanced performance across multiple categories, including a strong tech sector and labor market, propelled Colorado Springs to its highest ranking yet in Milken’s influential annual report.