Economic report names Salt Lake City, Ogden among best performing cities in America
Jan 15, 2025, 2:00 PM | Updated: Jan 16, 2025, 10:58 am
FILE: Downtown Salt Lake City is seen on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
(Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Two of Utah’s largest metropolitan areas have made the top of an annual economic report ranking the best performing cities in America.
In the Milken Institute’s report: 2025 Best Performing Cities: Mapping Economic Growth Across the U.S., Ogden-Clearfield was ranked number 2 in the nation. Salt Lake City came in right behind at number 3.
Criteria for best performing cities
The report bases scores on a city’s job growth, wages, housing affordability and other factors.
Ogden’s second-place ranking for big cities was a huge leap from their 26th place ranking in 2024. Salt Lake City rose just one spot from 2024, but are now up 16 spots from their 19th place ranking in 2023.
“The future is pretty bright here and I think the nation is starting to take note,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said about her city’s ranking. She also gave kudos to Ogden for their ranking.
“Their second-place position is very impressive, and we are very grateful to be their colleague at number three,” said Mendenhall.
The mayor of Utah’s capital city also explained why she thought Salt Lake had made such a big leap in the rankings since 2023.
“We are no longer an office-based-primary economy, we’re an entertainment, shopping and recreation-based economy,” Mendenhall said. “That’s attractive, not only for livability but for the kind of businesses that make a vital, vibrant city.”
Mendenhall noted the addition of the Utah Hockey Club and Salt Lake being awarded the 20234 Winter Olympics as part of her reasoning.
“Salt Lake City is on the map, we’re growing in a good way,” Mendenhall said. “We’re growing in a way that celebrates our diversity.”
Provo-Orem once topped the list three years in a row from 2021 to 2023, but now sits at number 15 for big cities.
St. George was ranked number 2 for best-performing small cities while Logan made the list at number 48.
Related: Several small Utah cities named best in country for starting businesses
