Tag Archives: population

Corridor life among the best in the nation

Recent media reports indicate Corridor communities and Iowa are among the best in the nation to live, work and play. Population and per capita income are up and the region is a great place to launch a business!

Read on . . .

Forbes rankings and ratings

Forbes magazine ranks Corridor metro areas among the best in the nation for business. Cedar Rapids No. 44 in the U.S. for business and careers. Iowa City is ranked No. 2 on Forbes’ “best small places for business and careers.”

Forbes ranks Iowa City ranks No. 8 “Up and Coming Tech Cities.” The magazine credits new venture capital and private equity firms that target renewable energy start-ups and the Grow Iowa Value Fund support of the University of Iowa’s Centers for Enterprise.

The 2008 Forbes’ America’s Smartest Cities Web site list names Iowa City No. 10 in the U.S. The list ranks cities based on the percentage of the population age 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree. Information is posted to Sperling’s BestPlaces at www.bestplaces.net.

Forbes Small Business magazine ranks Iowa City No. 21 of 100 “Best Small Places to Live and Launch” a business or career. The rating is based on a mix of business advantages and lifestyle appeal. The magazine states: “In recent years the economic Corridor that stretches from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids has emerged as a powerful locus of economic growth, not only in film, but also in computer simulation, bioengineering and renewable energy.”

University of Iowa

Financial Times named University of Iowa Tippie College of Business graduate accounting program among the world’s top 10. Tippie School of Management overall MBA program is No. 55 in the world; and No. 25 in the nation.

The University of Iowa is listed No. 1 in funding by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health. Grant funding to UI by the NIDCR for fiscal year 2007 totaled more than $12 million. The amount represents grant recipients from across the entire UI campus.

Population and income

Corridor communities rank among top 100 cities for income growth

Iowa tied two states (Massachusetts and Hawaii) for No. 8 per capita income growth for the period 2006 to 2007. According to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Iowa’s personal income grew 6 percent from $33,038 to $35,023. The national per capita personal income national growth was 5.2 percent to $38,611. In 2006, Cedar Rapids per capita personal income was $35,344, ranking No. 97 among metro areas nationwide; Iowa City’s per capita personal income was $35,936 ranking the city No. 88 nationwide.

Iowa becomes a metro state, Corridor communities gain population

Since the 2000 U.S. Census, 23 Iowa counties grew. Of those, 20 counties have metro area or are adjacent to one. The largest growth was in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Des Moines metros.

Johnson County (12.8 percent) and Linn County (7 percent) leads eastern Iowa growth. Iowa’s population is now 2,988,044 representing a 59,800 population growth.

During the period July 1, 2000, to July 1, 2007, Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) grew from 23,320 to 252,784; Iowa City MSA grew from 131,676 to 147,038 and Des Moines from 481,394 to 546,599.

Iowa City’s population grew 1.7 percent for a gain of 2,389 residents from 2006 to 2007. Cedar Rapids population grew 1.3 percent during the same time period. Johnson County gained 2,222 residents for a total of 125,692, from July 2006 to July 2007, ranking No. 4 in the state with a 1.8 population growth.

Linn County went from 192,293 to 205,836 – a growth of 13,543 people; Johnson County went from 111,474 to 125,692 – a growth of 14,218 people.

The nation grew by 7 percent during the same time period; the Midwest region grew 3 percent overall. (Three-fourths of the state’s 99 counties lost population since 2000.)

Of Iowa City population, ages 25 and older, 42.26 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher. More than 91 percent graduated high school, 4.35 percent have a doctorate and 4.02 percent have a professional degree.

State rankings

Iowa ranks No. 1 in egg production, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture and studies by Iowa State University Extension.

Iowa is No. 1 “Best Quality of Life” and “Best States for Business” – “Forbes” magazine

Iowa is No. 2 in healthcare – Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard

Iowa students are ranked No. 3 in the nation for composite ACT scores

Iowa ranked No. 4 nationally in capital investment – “U.S. Investment Monitor 2006” report by Ernst & Young and Quantitative Economics and Statistics Practice

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under Editorial commentary, Why it's great to live here