* Area Development…

Each year, Area Development partners with Chmura Economics & Analytics to evaluate the performance of U.S. metropolitan areas based on the fundamentals that matter most to business expansion: workforce, economic strength, and adaptability. Using Chmura’s data-driven model — which equally weights Prime Workforce and Economic Strength — the Leading Metro Locations rankings offer a snapshot of where growth, talent, and opportunity intersect.

The 2025 results confirm a national realignment in progress. Smaller and mid-size markets are outperforming their larger counterparts, buoyed by agile workforces, rising investment, and livability advantages that big metros increasingly struggle to match. […]

“As labor becomes scarce and land prices rise in major metros, the smart move isn’t necessarily going bigger — it’s going smaller and smarter. Companies are using micromarkets is proximity to major markets to create a regional spoke-and-hub networks, leveraging lower costs, higher incentives, and proximity without premium pricing,” said Joe Dunlap, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Legacy Investing.

* WSIU focused on the Southern Illinois rankings…

Carbondale ranks 67th in economic strength and 74th overall, placing it in the top 10 percent nationally.

Marion–Herrin ranks 180th in economic strength and 219th overall, placing it in the top 25 percent nationally.

Mt. Vernon ranks 404th overall and 257th in prime workforce, placing it in the top third nationally for workforce strength.

The Area Development report says workforce rankings for Mt. Vernon at 257 and Carbondale at 275 exceed several large metropolitan areas, including Nashville at 332, Denver at 433, and St. Louis at 894

Springfield ranked second in Illinois at 123. Lincoln posted the state’s lowest ranking at 906 out of 949. Click here to see the full Illinois rankings.