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TWENTY-THIRD EDITION
2016 2016
America’s Top Rated Cities TWENTY-THIRD
TWENTY-THIRD EDITION
EDITION
A Statistical Handbook
Volume 1: Southern Region
Americas
statistical information, rankings, and comparative data in one easy-to-use source, on cities that have
scored high marks on economy, education, health care, crime, transportation, leisure activities, and arts
& culture. The final list of top-rated cities is derived from our unique rating system, which is based on a
number of well-known “best of” lists and first-hand experience.
Topics Include:
Business Environment
Business Headquarters
Commercial Utilities
Living Environment
Air & Water Quality
Best Companies to Work For
Top Rated Cities A Statistical Handbook
Commercial Real Estate Best Hospitals
Demographics Best Schools
Economy Climate
Employment & Earnings Cost of Living Volume 1:
Event Sites
Fast Growing Businesses
Education
Hazardous Waste Southern
Hotels & Motels Health & Health Care Athens, GA
Atlanta, GA
Income Housing
Austin, TX
Municipal Finances Major Employers Cape Coral, FL
Taxes Presidential Election Results Charleston, SC
Transportation Public Safety Clarksville, TN
Columbia, SC
Women & Minority-Owned Businesses Recreation
Dallas, TX
El Paso, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Plus Five Appendices:
A Statistical Handbook
Gainesville, FL
List of Counties, Metropolitan Area Definitions, Chambers of Commerce & Economic Development Houston, TX
Organizations, State Departments of Labor, and Comparative Statistics Huntsville, AL
Jacksonville, FL
Killeen, TX
Other Books In The Series: Lafayette, LA
America’s Top-Rated Smaller Cities; Ancestry & Ethnicity in America; American Tally; Asian Databook; Lubbock, TX
McAllen, TX
Hispanic Databook; Comparative Guide to American Suburbs; Profiles of America; Profiles of series... Miami, FL
individual state volumes including CA, CT/RI, FL, IL, IN, MA, MI, NJ, NY, NC/SC; OH, PA, VA, WI, TX Midland, TX
Nashville, TN
New Orleans, LA
Orlando, FL
4-VOLUME SET A Universal Reference Book VOLUME 1 - SOUTHERN Palm Bay, FL
978-1-61925-909-6 978-1-61925-910-2 San Antonio, TX
Volume 1: Savannah, GA
Southern Region Tallahassee, FL
Tampa, FL
America’s
Top-Rated Cities:
A Statistical Handbook
Volume 1: Southern Region
While every effort has been made to ensure the reliability of the information presented in this publication, Grey House
Publishing neither guarantees the accuracy of the data contained herein nor assumes any responsibility for errors,
omissions or discrepancies. Grey House accepts no payment for listing; inclusion in the publication of any organization,
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Grey House Publishing, Inc. will defend its rights in this publication.
Twenty-third Edition
Printed in Canada
v. : ill. ; cm.
Annual, 1995-
Irregular, 1992-1993
ISSN: 1082-7102
HT123.5.S6 A44
307.76/0973/05 95644648
Atlanta, Georgia
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cape Coral, Florida
Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Commercial Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Commercial Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Commercial Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
vi Table of Contents
Jacksonville, Florida
Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Lafayette, Louisiana
Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Commercial Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Commercial Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 Commercial Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370 Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Table of Contents ix
McAllen, Texas
Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455 Midland, Texas
Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460 City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462 Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463 Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464 Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466 Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Commercial Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 Commercial Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469 Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470 Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470 Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471 Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531
Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531
Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
x Table of Contents
Tampa, Florida
Savannah, Georgia Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725
Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673 Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674 Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Business Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
City Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732
Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678 Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680 Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681 Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682 Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684 Commercial Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Commercial Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685 Commercial Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685 Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740
Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686 Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741
Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687 Hotels & Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742
Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688 Living Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688 Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 744
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747
Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693 Presidential Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748
Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693 Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694 Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694 Recreation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750
Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695 Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750
Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695 Hazardous Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751
Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695 Air & Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751
xii Table of Contents
This twenty-third edition of America’s Top-Rated Cities is a concise, statistical, 4-volume work identifying America’s
top-rated cities with populations of at least 100,000. It profiles 100 cities that have received high marks for business
and living from prominent sources such as Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek, Inc., Fortune, Men’s
Health, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, and CNNMoney.
Each volume covers a different region of the country—Southern, Western, Central and Eastern—and includes a
detailed Table of Contents, City Chapters, Appendices, and Maps. Each City Chapter incorporates information from
hundreds of resources to create the following major sections:
• Background—lively narrative of significant, up-to-date news for both businesses and residents. These combine
historical facts with current developments, “known-for” annual events, and climate data.
• Rankings—fun-to-read, bulleted survey results from over 300 books, magazines, and online articles, ranging
from general (Great Places to Live), to specific (Best Cities for Newlyweds), and everything in between.
• Statistical Tables—123 tables and detailed topics—several new and expanded—that offer an unparalleled view of each
city’s Business and Living Environments. They are carefully organized with data that is easy to read and understand.
• Appendices—five in all, follow each volume of City Chapters. These range from listings of Metropolitan
Statistical Areas to Comparative Statistics for all 100 cities.
This new edition of America’s Top-Rated Cities includes cities that not only surveyed well, but ranked highest using our
unique weighting system. We looked at violent crime, property crime, population growth, median household income,
housing affordability, poverty, educational attainment, and unemployment. You’ll find that a number of American cities
remain “top-rated” despite less-than-stellar numbers. Miami, for example, is known for high crime and unemployment,
but also for its unique location—as both a valuable business port and popular vacation spot. New York and Los Angeles
have relatively low high school graduation rates, but both of these cities make up for it in other ways. A final
consideration is location—we strive to include as many states in the country as possible.
Part of this year’s city criteria is that it be the “primary” city in a given metropolitan area. For example, if the metro
area is Raleigh-Cary, NC, we would consider Raleigh, not Cary. This allows for a more equitable core city to core city
comparison. In general, the core city of a metro area is defined as having substantial influence on neighboring cities.
Killeen, TX appears as a top-rated city for the first time this year, and the following cities have regained their top-city
status in this edition, after being off the list for several years: Columbia, SC; Riverside, CA; and Allentown, PA.
“...While patrons are becoming increasingly comfortable locating statistical data online,
there is still something to be said for the ease associated with such a compendium of
otherwise scattered data. A well-organized and appropriate update...
—Library Journal
BACKGROUND
Each city begins with an informative Background that combines history with current events. These narratives often
reflect changes that have occurred during the past year, and touch on the city’s environment, politics, employment,
cultural offerings, and climate, often including interesting trivia. For example: The unique craft of cowboy boot
making is demonstrated at the Abilene Historical Museum; Peregrine Falcons were rehabilitated and released into the
wild from Boise City’s World Center for Birds of Prey; Gainesville is home to a 6,800 square-foot living Butterfly
Rainforest; and Grand Rapids was the first city to introduce fluoride into its drinking water in 1945.
xiv Introduction
RANKINGS
This section has rankings from a possible 307 books, articles, and reports. For easy reference, these Rankings are
categorized into 16 topics including Business/Finance, Dating/Romance, and Health/Fitness.
The Rankings are presented in an easy-to-read, bulleted format and include results from both annual surveys and
one-shot studies. Fastest-Growing Wages . . . Most Well-Read . . . Most Playful . . . Most Wired. . . Healthiest for
Women . . . Best for Minority Entrepreneurs . . . Safest . . . Best to Grow Old . . . Most Polite . . . Best for
Moviemakers . . . Most Frugal . . . Noisiest . . . Most Vegetarian-Friendly . . . Least Stressful . . . Hottest Cities of
the Future . . . Most Political . . . Most Charitable . . . Most Tax Friendly . . . Best for Telecommuters . . . Best for
Singles . . . Gayest . . . Best for Dogs . . . Most Tattooed . . . Best for Wheelchair Users, and more.
Sources for these Rankings include both well-known magazines and other media, including Forbes, Fortune, Inc.
Magazine, Working Mother, BusinessWeek, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Men’s Journal, and Travel + Leisure, as
well as resources not as well known, such as the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, Christopher & Dana Reeve
Foundation, The Advocate, Black Enterprise, National Civic League, The National Coalition for the Homeless,
MovieMaker Magazine, Center for Digital Government, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Milken Institute.
Since rankings cover a variety of geographic areas—metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, cities, etc.—
rankings can apply to one or all of these areas; see Appendix B for full geographic definitions.
STATISTICAL TABLES
Each city chapter includes a possible 123 tables and detailed topics—69 in BUSINESS and 54 in LIVING. Over 90%
of statistical data has been updated. New topics include Commuter Stress Index. Expanded topics include the addition
of American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander to Minority- and Women-Owned
Businesses.
Business Environment includes hard facts and figures on 10 topics, including City Finances, Demographics, Income,
Economy, Employment, and Taxes. Living Environment includes 11 topics, such as Cost of Living, Housing, Health,
Education, Safety, Recreation, and Climate.
To compile the Statistical Tables, our editors have again turned to a wide range of sources, some well known, such as
the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and some more obscure, like The Council for
Community and Economic Research, Texas Transportation Institute, and Federation of Tax Administrators.
Material provided by public and private agencies and organizations was supplemented by original research, numerous
library sources and Internet sites. America’s Top-Rated Cities, 2016, is designed for a wide range of readers: private
individuals considering relocating a residence or business; professionals considering expanding their businesses or
changing careers; corporations considering relocating, opening up additional offices or creating new divisions;
government agencies; general and market researchers; real estate consultants; human resource personnel; urban
planners; investors; and urban government students.
Customers who purchase the four-volume set receive free online access to America’s Top-Rated Cities allowing them
to download city reports; sort and rank by 50-plus data points; and access data for 200 cities not in the print version.
Seattle
M AI NE
Spokane
W AS H ING TO N MONTANA
Portland NORTH DAKOTA
Fargo VT
NH
Salem MINNESOTA Manchester
Billings
Boston
WISCONSIN Worcester
Eugene Minneapolis Green Bay MA
NE W Y OR K Providence
ORE GO N CT RI
Boise City Rochester
SOUTH DAKOTA MICHIGAN
Sioux Falls Madison Erie
ID AH O Ann Arbor New York
Grand Rapids Allentown
WY OM ING PENNSYLVANIA
IOWA Chicago Philadelphia
Cedar Rapids Pittsburgh
Fort Wayne OHI O
NEW JERSEY
CALIFORNIA NEBRASKA Omaha Davenport Columbus
Salt Lake City Des Moines Peoria DE
INDIANA
Reno Washington MD
Provo Fort Collins Lincoln
Santa Rosa NE VA D A Springfield Indianapolis
Sacramento WV
Boulder
Denver Kansas City Columbia Richmond Virginia Beach
San Francisco ILLINOIS Louisville Lexington
UTAH Topeka VA
San Jose Colorado Springs KANSAS MISSOURI
K E NT UC K Y Greensboro Durham
COLORADO Clarksville Winston-Salem Raleigh
Wichita
Las Vegas Nashville NC Fayetteville
Charlotte
Tulsa
TENNESSEE SC
Wilmington
AR IZO NA Columbia
Los Angeles Albuquerque Athens
Oklahoma City ARKANSAS Huntsville
Atlanta Charleston
Riverside OKLAHOMA
ALABAMA
San Diego
Phoenix Lubbock
NE W M E X I C O GE OR GI A Savannah
MISSISSIPPI
Fort Worth
Dallas
LOUISIANA Jacksonville
El Paso Tallahassee
Midland
Killeen
TEXAS
Lafayette Gainesville
Austin Orlando Palm Bay
New Orleans
Houston
Tampa
San Antonio FL OR I D A
Eugene Billings
Eugene, OR
Reno, NV
NEBRASKA
CA LIF OR NIA
N EVADA Salt Lake City
Santa Rosa, CA Reno Fort Collins
Santa Salt Lake City,
UT Provo Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Rosa Sacramento
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Provo-Orem, UT Boulder, CO Boulder
San Francisco Denver-
Denver
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Colorado Springs
San Jose San Jose- UTAH Colorado
Sunnyvale- Springs, CO KS
Santa Clara, CA
CO LO R ADO
Las Vegas-
Henderson-Paradise, NV
Las Vegas
Riverside-
San Bernardino- AR IZ O NA
Ontario, CA
Los Angeles Albuquerque
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Riverside Albuquerque, NM
Phoenix TEXAS
San Diego
San Diego- Phoenix-Mesa-
Carlsbad, CA Scottsdale, AZ NEW MEXICO
ALASKA
Anchorage,AK
Anchorage
Urban Honolulu, HI AMERICA'S TOP-RATED CITIES
Honolulu
+
Grand Rapids-
SOUTH D A KO TA Rochester Wyoming, MI
Rochester, MN
KENTUCKY
Wichita Wichita, KS
MISSOURI
Tulsa, OK
TENNESSEE
Tulsa
Oklahoma City
ARKANSAS GA
Oklahoma City, OK
NM OKLAHOMA
TEX A S ALABAMA
MISSISSIPPI
VIRGINIA
C O L O R AD O
K AN S AS M I SSOUR I
K EN TU C KY
Clarksville
TN N ORTH C AR OL IN A
Clarksville, TN-KY Nashville
Nashville-Davidson-
Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN
SC Columbia
Huntsville
Athens Columbia, SC
OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS Huntsville, AL Charleston-
Atlanta Athens-Clarke North Charleston, SC
County, GA
NEW MEXICO Atlanta-Sandy Springs- Charleston
Roswell, GA
Lubbock Savannah Savannah, GA
Lubbock, TX Dallas-Fort Worth ALABAMA
Fort Worth Arlington, TX M I SSI SSI P P I
G EORG IA
Dallas
Midland LOUISIANA Jacksonville, FL
El Paso Jacksonville
T EX AS Tallahassee
El Paso, TX Midland, TX
Killeen F L ORID A Tallahassee, FL
Killeen-Temple, TX
Gainesville
Gainesville, FL Palm Bay-
Houston- Lafayette New Orleans
Austin- Melbourne-
The Woodlands-
Round Rock, TX New Orleans- Orlando Titusville, FL
Sugar Land, TX Lafayette, LA
Austin Metairie, LA
San Antonio Tampa Orlando-
Palm Bay
Houston Kissimmee
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
San Antonio- Sanford, FL
New Braunfels, TX
Cape Coral
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Miami
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-W. Palm Beach, FL
McAllen-
McAllen Edinburg- AMERICA'S TOP-RATED CITIES
Mission, TX
CBSA: Core Based Statistical Area
STATE
Top Rated City
Southern Region
VT NH
Manchester Boston-Cambridge-Newton,
Manchester-Nashua, NH
Boston MA-NH
Worcester
Worcester, MA-CT
Providence
NEW YORK MA
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
RI
CT
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton,
MICHIGAN Erie PA-NJ
New York
Erie, PA
Allentown New York-Newark-Jersey City,
PENNSYLVANIA NY-NJ-PA
OHIO
Pittsburgh Philadelphia
NJ Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington,
Pittsburgh, PA PA-NJ-DE-MD
Columbus
INDIANA Washington DE
Columbus, OH MD
IL WV Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Richmond
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
Richmond, VA
Louisville/Jefferson
Lexington VA
County, KY-IN
Virginia Beach
Louisville Lexington-Fayette, KY
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Greensboro
KENTUCKY
Durham
Winston-Salem Raleigh
Winston-Salem,NC Raleigh, NC
Greensboro-High Point, NC
Fayetteville
TENNESSEE NC Charlotte Wilmington
Fayetteville, NC
Wilmington, NC
Charlotte-
Concord-
Gastonia, NC-SC
S.CAROLINA
GEORGIA
MS ALABAMA
Rankings
General Rankings
• Athens was selected as one of the best places to live in America by Outside Magazine. The
city ranked #6. Criteria included great access to trails and public lands, thriving neighborhoods
and restaurants, and a good beer scene. Winners and runners-up from the last three years were
excluded. Outside Magazine, “The 16 Best Places to Live in the U. S. 2015,” August 18, 2015
Business/Finance Rankings
• Metro areas with the largest gap in income between rich and poor residents were identified by
24/7 Wall Street using the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey. The
Athens metro area placed #14 among metro areas with the widest wealth gap between rich and
poor. 247wallst. com, “20 Cities with the Widest Gap between the Rich and Poor,” July 8,
2015
• The Athens metro area appeared on the Milken Institute “2015 Best Performing Cities” list.
Rank: #100 out of 201 small metro areas. Criteria: job growth; wage and salary growth;
high-tech output growth.Milken Institute, “Best-Performing Cities 2015,” December 2015
• Forbes ranked 200 smaller metro areas to determine the nation’s “Best Small Places for
Business and Careers.” The Athens metro area was ranked #31. Criteria: costs (business and
living); job growth (past and projected); income growth; educational attainment (college and
high school); projected economic growth; cultural and recreational opportunities; net
migration patterns; number of highly ranked colleges. Forbes, “The Best Small Cities for
Business and Careers 2015,” July 29, 2015
Environmental Rankings
• The Athens metro area came in at #257 for the relative comfort of its climate on Sperling’s list
of “chill cities,” as measured by the Sperling Heat Index. All 361 metro areas are included.
Criteria included daytime high temperatures, nighttime low temperatures, dew point, and
relative humidity at the high temperatures. www. bertsperling. com, “Sperling’s Chill Cities,”
July 18, 2013
• Sperling’s BestPlaces assessed 379 metropolitan areas of the United States for the likelihood
of dangerously extreme weather events or earthquakes. In general the Southeast and
South-Central regions have the highest risk of weather extremes and earthquakes, while the
Pacific Northwest enjoys the lowest risk. Of the least risky metropolitan areas, the Athens
metro area was ranked #323. www. bestplaces. net, “Safest Places from Natural Disasters,”
April 2011
Safety Rankings
• The National Insurance Crime Bureau ranked 380 metro areas in the U.S. in terms of per
capita rates of vehicle theft. The Athens metro area ranked #191 (#1 = highest rate). Criteria:
number of vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014. National Insurance Crime
Bureau, “Hot Spots 2014,” June 24, 2015
Seniors/Retirement Rankings
• From its Best Cities for Successful Aging indexes, the Milken Institute generated rankings for
metropolitan areas, weighing data in eight categories—health care, wellness, living
arrangements, transportation, financial characteristics, education and employment
opportunities, community engagement, and overall livability. The Athens metro area was
ranked #29 overall in the small metro area category. Milken Institute, “Best Cities for
Successful Aging, 2014”
• Athens made the 2015 Forbes list of “25 Best Places to Retire.” Criteria include: housing and
living costs; tax climate for retirees; weather and air quality; crime rates; home prices; doctor
availability; active-lifestyle rankings for walkability, bicycling and volunteering. Forbes. com,
“The Best Places to Retire in 2015,” March 17, 2015
Athens, Georgia 3
• Athens was identified as one of the most popular places to retire by Topretirements. com. The
list reflects the 100 cities (out of 1,000+ total cities reviewed) that visitors to the website are
most interested in for retirement. Topretirements. com, “Most Popular Places to Retire for
2016,” February 24, 2016
4 Athens, Georgia
Business Environment
CITY FINANCES City Government Finances
Component 2012 2012
($000) ($ per capita)
Total Revenues 231,812 2,008
Total Expenditures 292,175 2,531
Debt Outstanding 263,425 2,282
Cash and Securities1 207,409 1,796
Note: (1) Cash and security holdings of a government at the close of its fiscal
year, including those of its dependent agencies, utilities, and liquor stores.
Source: U. S Census Bureau, State & Local Government Finances 2012
Household Size
Persons in Household (%) Average
Area Seven Household
One Two Three Four Five Six Size
or More
City 34.0 34.5 14.3 11.2 3.6 1.7 0.7 2.60
MSA1 28.9 35.0 15.9 12.9 4.5 1.9 0.9 2.70
U.S. 27.6 33.6 15.8 13.2 6.1 2.3 1.5 2.60
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Race
White Black Asian AIAN3 NHOPI4 Other Two or
Area Alone2 Alone2 Alone2 Alone2 Alone2 Race More
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) Alone2 Races
(%) (%)
City 65.0 26.5 4.2 0.1 0.0 1.8 2.3
MSA1 73.3 19.4 3.4 0.2 0.0 1.7 2.1
U.S. 73.8 12.6 5.0 0.8 0.2 4.7 2.9
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included; (2) Alone is defined as not being in combination with one or more other races; (3) American Indian
and Alaska Native; (4) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Segregation
Segregation Indices1 Percent Change
Type
1990 2000 2010 2010 Rank2 1990-2000 1990-2010 2000-2010
Black/White n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Asian/White n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Hispanic/White n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Note: All figures cover the Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas included; Figures are based
on an analysis of 1990, 2000, and 2010 Census Decennial Census tract data by William H. Frey, Brookings
Institution and the University of Michigan Social Science Data Analysis Network. In this analysis all racial
groups (whites, blacks, and asians) are non-Hispanic members of those races. Hispanics are shown as a
separate category;
(1) Segregation Indices are Dissimilarity Indices that measure the degree to which the minority group is
distributed differently than whites across census tracts. They range from 0 (complete integration) to 100
(complete segregation) where the value indicates the percentage of the minority group that needs to move to be
distributed exactly like whites; (2) Ranges from 1 (most segregated) to 102 (least segregated); n/a not available.
Source: www. CensusScope. org
6 Athens, Georgia
Ancestry
Area German Irish English American Italian Polish French2 Scottish Dutch
City 9.7 8.2 9.0 8.5 2.6 1.9 1.6 3.5 0.8
MSA1 9.4 9.0 10.0 13.1 2.4 1.5 1.7 3.3 0.8
U.S. 14.9 10.8 8.0 7.1 5.5 3.0 2.7 1.7 1.4
Note: Figures are the percentage of the total population reporting a particular ancestry. The nine most
commonly reported ancestries in the U. S. are shown. Figures include multiple ancestries (e. g. if a person
reported being Irish and Italian, they were included in both columns); (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke
County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas included; (2) Excludes Basque
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Foreign-Born Population
Percent of Population Born in
Area Any
Central South
Foreign Asia Mexico Europe Carribean Africa Canada
America2 America
Country
City 10.1 3.2 3.7 1.0 0.1 1.1 0.5 0.3 0.2
MSA1 7.7 2.5 2.7 0.8 0.1 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.2
U.S. 13.1 3.8 3.7 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.6 0.3
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included; (2) Excludes Mexico.
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Marital Status
Area Never Married Now Married2 Separated Widowed Divorced
City 56.4 29.9 1.7 4.1 8.0
MSA1 44.4 39.8 1.8 5.1 8.9
U.S. 32.5 48.4 2.2 5.9 10.9
Note: Figures are percentages and cover the population 15 years of age and older; (1) Figures cover the
Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas included; (2) Excludes
separated
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Disability Status
Under 18 18 to 64 65 Years
Area All Ages
Years Old Years Old and Over
City 9.9 2.9 8.6 34.5
MSA1 11.4 4.1 9.6 36.7
U.S. 12.3 4.1 10.2 36.3
Note: Figures show percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population that reported having a disability.
Disability status is determined from from six types of difficulty: vision, hearing, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care,
and independent living. For children under 5 years old, hearing and vision difficulty are used to determine
disability status. For children between the ages of 5 and 14, disability status is determined from hearing, vision,
cognitive, ambulatory, and self-care difficulties. For people aged 15 years and older, they are considered to
have a disability if they have difficulty with any one of the six difficulty types; (1) Figures cover the
Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas included.
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Age
Percent of Population
Median
Area Under Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age
Age 5 5–19 20–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75–84 85+
City 5.8 20.8 37.1 10.5 8.7 8.1 5.1 2.6 1.3 26.3
MSA1 5.8 21.1 28.9 11.7 11.5 10.2 6.5 3.1 1.4 30.7
U.S. 6.4 19.9 20.6 13.0 14.1 12.3 7.6 4.3 1.9 37.4
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Athens, Georgia 7
Gender
Area Males Females Males per 100 Females
City 56,332 62,182 90.6
MSA1 94,472 101,815 92.8
U.S. 154,515,159 159,591,925 96.8
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Economic Growth
Area 2011-13 (%) 2014 (%) 2015 (%) 2016 (%) Rank2
MSA1 1.1 1.3 2.2 2.2 236
U.S. 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.9 –
Note: Figures are real gross metropolitan product (GMP) growth rates and represent annual average percent
change; (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for
areas included; (2) Rank is based on 2016 data and ranges from 1 to 381
Source: The U. S. Conference of Mayors, U. S. Metro Economies: GMP and Employment 2014-2016, June 2015
Building Permits
Single-Family Multi-Family Total
Area Pct. Pct. Pct.
2014 2015p 2014 2015p 2014 2015p
Chg. Chg. Chg.
City 116 89 -23.3 422 553 31.0 538 642 19.3
MSA1 502 431 -14.1 428 597 39.5 930 1,028 10.5
U.S. 640,300 690,800 7.9 411,800 487,600 18.4 1,052,100 1,178,400 12.0
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included; Figures represent new, privately-owned housing units authorized (unadjusted data); All permit data
are based on estimates with imputation; (p) preliminary data.
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, Manufacturing, Mining, and Construction Statistics, Building Permits, 2014, 2015
Bankruptcy Filings
Business Filings Nonbusiness Filings
Area
2014 2015 % Chg. 2014 2015 % Chg.
Clarke County 7 5 -28.6 381 367 -3.7
U.S. 26,983 24,735 -8.3 909,812 819,760 -9.9
Note: Business filings include Chapter 7, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, and Chapter 13; Nonbusiness filings include
Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13
Source: Administrative Office of the U. S. Courts, Business and Nonbusiness Bankruptcy, County Cases
Commenced by Chapter of the Bankruptcy Code, During the 12- Month Period Ending December 31, 2014 and
Business and Nonbusiness Bankruptcy, County Cases Commenced by Chapter of the Bankruptcy Code, During
the 12- Month Period Ending December 31, 2015
INCOME Income
Area Per Capita ($) Median Household ($) Average Household ($)
City 19,244 33,293 50,998
MSA1 22,243 41,624 59,830
U.S. 28,555 53,482 74,596
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Poverty Rate
Under 18 18 to 64 65 Years
Area All Ages
Years Old Years Old and Over
City 36.0 36.6 39.2 11.0
MSA1 26.5 26.7 29.2 9.5
U.S. 15.6 21.9 14.6 9.4
Note: Figures are percentage of people whose income during the past 12 months was below the poverty level;
(1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Unemployment Rate
2015
Area
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
City 6.1 6.0 5.7 5.6 6.2 6.8 6.8 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.1 5.2
MSA1 5.8 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.8 6.2 6.3 5.6 5.4 5.2 4.7 4.8
U.S. 6.1 5.8 5.6 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.2 4.9 4.8 4.8 4.8
Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted and covers workers 16 years of age and older; (1) Figures cover the
Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas included
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics
Employment by Occupation
Occupation Classification City MSA1 U.S.
(%) (%) (%)
Management, Business, Science, and Arts 40.0 40.0 36.4
Natural Resources, Construction, and Maintenance 5.2 6.8 9.0
Production, Transportation, and Material Moving 11.5 12.7 12.1
Sales and Office 21.9 22.0 24.4
Service 21.5 18.5 18.2
Note: Figures cover employed civilians 16 years of age and older; (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County,
GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas included
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
10 Athens, Georgia
Employment by Industry
MSA1 U.S.
Sector Number of Percent Percent
Employees of Total of Total
Construction, Mining, and Logging n/a n/a 5.0
Education and Health Services n/a n/a 15.7
Financial Activities n/a n/a 5.7
Government 29,200 31.0 15.5
Information n/a n/a 1.9
Leisure and Hospitality 10,400 11.0 10.4
Manufacturing n/a n/a 8.6
Other Services n/a n/a 3.9
Professional and Business Services 7,800 8.3 13.9
Retail Trade 10,500 11.1 11.3
Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities n/a n/a 3.9
Wholesale Trade n/a n/a 4.1
Note: Figures are non-farm employment as of December 2015. Figures are not seasonally adjusted and include
workers 16 years of age and older; (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical
Area—see Appendix B for areas included; n/a not available
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Employment, Hours, and Earnings
Average Wages
Occupation $/Hr. Occupation $/Hr.
Accountants and Auditors 28.20 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 9.60
Automotive Mechanics 18.10 Maintenance and Repair Workers 16.70
Bookkeepers 15.40 Marketing Managers 53.20
Carpenters 14.90 Nuclear Medicine Technologists n/a
Cashiers 9.30 Nurses, Licensed Practical 19.90
Clerks, General Office 12.70 Nurses, Registered 29.00
Clerks, Receptionists/Information 12.80 Nursing Assistants 10.80
Clerks, Shipping/Receiving 15.50 Packers and Packagers, Hand 9.50
Computer Programmers 30.50 Physical Therapists 39.90
Computer Systems Analysts 29.40 Postal Service Mail Carriers 24.30
Computer User Support Specialists 20.20 Real Estate Brokers n/a
Cooks, Restaurant 9.30 Retail Salespersons 11.80
Dentists 115.30 Sales Reps., Exc. Tech./Scientific 24.70
Electrical Engineers 37.70 Sales Reps., Tech./Scientific 27.20
Electricians 21.10 Secretaries, Exc. Legal/Med./Exec. 16.40
Financial Managers 62.60 Security Guards 13.80
First-Line Supervisors/Managers, Sales 21.40 Surgeons n/a
Food Preparation Workers 9.60 Teacher Assistants* 9.40
General and Operations Managers 48.80 Teachers, Elementary School* 27.40
Hairdressers/Cosmetologists 12.30 Teachers, Secondary School* 27.70
Internists n/a Telemarketers 8.40
Janitors and Cleaners 11.30 Truck Drivers, Heavy/Tractor-Trailer 22.40
Landscaping/Groundskeeping Workers 13.40 Truck Drivers, Light/Delivery Svcs. 18.20
Lawyers 44.30 Waiters and Waitresses 8.90
Note: Wage data covers the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included; (*) Hourly wages for elementary/secondary school teachers and teacher assistants were calculated by
the editors from annual wage data based on a 40 hour work week; n/a not available.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Metro Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2015
COMMERCIAL
UTILITIES Typical Monthly Electric Bills
Commercial Service ($/month) Industrial Service ($/month)
Area 40 kW demand 1,000 kW demand 50,000 kW demand
1,500 kWh
14,000 kWh 200,000 kWh 32,500,000 kWh
City n/a n/a n/a n/a
Average1 200 1,638 25,873 2,550,420
Note: Figures are based on annualized 2014 rates; (1) Average based on 178 utilities surveyed; n/a not available
Source: Edison Electric Institute, Typical Bills and Average Rates Report, Summer 2015
Public Transportation
Vehicles Annual Annual
Unlinked
Operated in Passenger
Agency Name / Mode of Transportation Maximum Passenger Miles
Service Trips (in thous.)
(in thous.)
Athens Transit System
Bus (directly operated) 22 1,642.2 5,074.7
Demand Response (directly operated) 3 7.3 37.6
Source: Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database, 2014
Air Transportation
Airport Name and Code / Type of Service Passenger Passenger Freight Freight
Airlines1 Enplanements Carriers2 (lbs.)
Athens Municipal (AHN)
Domestic service (U.S. carriers - 2015) 2 453 0 0
International service (U.S. carriers - 2014) 0 0 0 0
Note: (1) Includes all U. S. -based major, minor and commuter airlines that carried at least one passenger
during the year; (2) Includes all U. S. -based airlines and freight carriers that transported at least one lb. of
freight during the year.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, The Intermodal Transportation Database, Air Carriers: T-100
Domestic Market (U. S. Carriers), 2015; Bureau of Transportation Statistics, The Intermodal Transportation
Database, Air Carriers: T-100 International Market (U. S. Carriers), 2014
HOTELS &
CONVENTION
CENTERS Hotels/Motels
5 Star 4 Star 3 Star 2 Star 1 Star Not Rated
Area
Num. Pct.3 Num. Pct.3 Num. Pct.3 Num. Pct.3 Num. Pct.3 Num. Pct.3
City1 0 0.0 2 2.2 13 14.6 72 80.9 1 1.1 1 1.1
Total2 184 1.0 1,563 8.3 6,374 33.7 9,793 51.7 400 2.1 628 3.3
Note: (1) Figures cover Athens and vicinity; (2) Figures cover all 100 cities in this book; (3) Percentage of
hotels which have a given star rating; Star ratings are determined by expedia. com and offer an indication of the
general quality of a particular hotel.
Source: expedia. com, March 30, 2016
Living Environment
COST OF LIVING Cost of Living Index
Composite Trans- Health Misc.
Groceries Housing Utilities Goods/
Index portation Care
Services
n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Note: The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services,
excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income
quintile. It is based on more than 50,000 prices covering almost 60 different items for which prices are collected
three times a year by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations or university applied
economic centers in each participating urban area. The numbers shown should be read as a percentage above
or below the national average of 100. For example, a value of 115. 4 in the groceries column indicates that
grocery prices are 15. 4% higher than the national average. Small differences in the index numbers should not
be interpreted as significant; n/a not available.
Source: The Council for Community and Economic Research, ACCRA Cost of Living Index, 2015
Grocery Prices
T-Bone Frying Whole Eggs Orange Coffee
Area1 Steak Chicken Milk Juice
($/dozen) ($/11.5 oz.)
($/pound) ($/pound) ($/half gal.) ($/64 oz.)
City2 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Avg. 10.99 1.43 2.25 2.26 3.58 4.48
Min. 7.16 0.98 1.30 1.35 2.88 2.98
Max. 14.13 2.43 3.85 4.81 6.39 7.56
Note: (1) Values for the local area are compared with the average, minimum and maximum values for all 292
areas in the Cost of Living Index; (2) Figures cover the Athens GA urban area; n/a not available; T-Bone Steak
(price per pound); Frying Chicken (price per pound, whole fryer); Whole Milk (half gallon carton); Eggs
(price per dozen, Grade A, large); Orange Juice (64 oz. Tropicana or Florida Natural); Coffee (11. 5 oz. can,
vacuum-packed, Maxwell House, Hills Bros, or Folgers).
Source: The Council for Community and Economic Research, ACCRA Cost of Living Index, 2015
Homeownership Rate
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Area
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
MSA1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
U.S. 67.8 67.4 66.9 66.1 65.4 65.1 64.5 63.7
Note: (1) Figures cover the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area—see Appendix B for areas
included; n/a not available
Source: U. S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership Annual Statistics: 2015
Higher Education
Four-Year Colleges Two-Year Colleges
Medical Law Voc/
Public Private Private Public Private Private Schools1 Schools2 Tech3
Non-profit For-profit Non-profit For-profit
1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
Note: Figures cover institutions located within the city limits and include main campuses only; (1) includes
schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association’s
Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation; (2) includes ABA-accredited schools, schools with
provisional ABA accreditation, and state accredited schools; (3) includes all schools with programs that are less
than 2 years.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS),
2014-15; Association of American Medical Colleges, Member List, March 21, 2016; American Osteopathic
Association, Member List, March 21, 2016; Law School Admission Council, Official Guide to ABA-Approved
Law Schools Online, March 21, 2016; Wikipedia, List of Medical Schools in the United States, March 21, 2016;
Wikipedia, List of Law Schools in the United States, March 21, 2016
According to U. S. News & World Report, the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area is home to
one of the best national universities in the U.S.: University of Georgia (#61 tie). The indicators
used to capture academic quality fall into a number of categories: assessment by administrators at
peer institutions; retention of students; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources;
alumni giving; high school counselor ratings of colleges; and graduation rate. U. S. News & World
Report, “America’s Best Colleges 2016”
According to U. S. News & World Report, the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area is home to
one of the top 100 law schools in the U.S.: University of Georgia, Law School (#33 tie). The
rankings are based on a weighted average of 12 measures of quality: peer assessment score;
assessment score by lawyers/judges; median LSAT scores; median undergrad GPA; acceptance
rate; employment rates for graduates; placement success; bar passage rate; faculty resources;
expenditures per student; student/faculty ratio; and library resources. U. S. News & World Report,
“America’s Best Graduate Schools, Law, 2017”
According to U. S. News & World Report, the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area is home to
one of the top 75 business schools in the U.S.: University of Georgia, Terry College of Business
(#55 tie). The rankings are based on a weighted average of the following nine measures: quality
assessment; peer assessment; recruiter assessment; placement success; mean starting salary and
bonus; student selectivity; mean GMAT and GRE scores; mean undergraduate GPA; and
acceptance rate. U. S. News & World Report, “America’s Best Graduate Schools, Business, 2017”
PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION 2012 Presidential Election Results
Area Obama (%) Romney (%) Other (%)
Clarke County 63.3 34.4 2.4
U.S. 51.0 47.2 1.8
Note: Results may not add to 100% due to rounding
Source: Dave Leip’s Atlas of U. S. Presidential Elections
Athens, Georgia 21
Hate Crimes
Number of Number of Incidents per Bias Motivation
Area Quarters Sexual Gender
Reported Race Religion Ethnicity Disability Gender
Orientation Identity
City n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
U.S. 4 2,568 1,014 1,017 648 84 33 98
Note: n/a not available.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hate Crime Statistics 2014
RECREATION Culture
Instrumental Vocal Series and Museums and Zoos and
Dance1 Theatre1
Music1 Music1 Festivals Art Galleries2 Aquariums3
2 2 0 0 1 12 0
Note: (1) Professional perfoming groups; (2) Based on organizations with SIC code 8412; (3) AZA-accredited
Source: The Grey House Performing Arts Directory, 2015-16; Association of Zoos & Aquariums, AZA Member
Zoos & Aquariums, March 25, 2016; www. AccuLeads. com, March 29, 2016
Average Precipitation/Snowfall/Humidity
Precip./Humidity Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yr.
Avg. Precip. (in.) 4.7 4.6 5.7 4.3 4.0 3.5 5.1 3.6 3.4 2.8 3.8 4.2 49.8
Avg. Snowfall (in.) 1 1 Tr Tr 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tr Tr 2
Avg. Rel. Hum. 7am (%) 79 77 78 78 82 83 88 89 88 84 81 79 82
Avg. Rel. Hum. 4pm (%) 56 50 48 45 49 52 57 56 56 51 52 55 52
Note: Figures cover the years 1945-1990; Tr = Trace amounts (<0. 05 in. of rain; <0. 5 in. of snow)
Source: National Climatic Data Center, International Station Meteorological Climate Summary, 9/96
Weather Conditions
Temperature Daytime Sky Precipitation
10°F & 32°F & 90°F & Partly 0.01 inch 0.1 inch Thunder-
Clear Cloudy or more or more
below below above cloudy storms
precip. snow/ice
1 49 38 98 147 120 116 3 48
Note: Figures are average number of days per year and cover the years 1945-1990
Source: National Climatic Data Center, International Station Meteorological Climate Summary, 9/96
HAZARDOUS
WASTE Superfund Sites
Athens has no sites on the EPA’s Superfund Final National Priorities List. There are a total of
1,323 Superfund sites on the list in the U.S. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Final
National Priorities List, March 18, 2016
Athens, Georgia 23
S
Saba, i. 7;
its ancient civilization, 8.
Salado, battle of the, ii. 481.
Salerno, Medical School of, iii. 45;
its contributions to medicine and surgery, 46, 47.
Samuel, Rabbi of Granada, learning and power of, ii. 131.
Sancho-el-Bravo, King of Castile, ii. 445.
Sancho the Fat, i. 592;
visits Cordova, 594.
Santiago destroyed by Al-Mansur, i. 740.
Saragossa taken by Musa, i. 249;
under the Beni-Hud, iii. 448.
Science in Arabian Spain, iii. 476, 477.
Science, its achievements, iii. 527–530.
Seigniorial rights, iii. 387, 388.
Septimania, its origin and extent, i. 274, 275.
Serfs, condition of, in Europe, iii. 395, 396;
degradation of, 397.
Seville captured by Musa, i. 244;
surrenders to Ferdinand, ii. 411.
Sicily, great natural advantages of, ii. 1;
classic traditions of, 2;
condition of, at time of Moorish invasion, 7;
invasion of, by Moslems, 9, 10;
mixed population of, 62;
scientific progress of its people, 69.
Sidi-Yahya, treason of, ii. 493.
Silk manufacture, iii. 625.
Sisebert, Archbishop of Toledo, heads conspiracy, i. 215.
Slaves, caste of, i. 606;
power and influence of, 607.
Social life of the Hispano-Arab, iii. 652, 653.
Spain, condition of, under the khalifs, i. 614–616.
St. James the Apostle, legend of, i. 471.
Stucco, iii. 549.
Suleyman, Khalif, his character, ii. 85.
Sword venerated in Arabia, i. 94;
importance of, among the Arabs, iii. 580, 581.
Syracuse, first siege of, by the Moors, ii. 13;
stormed by them, 38–40.
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