B.R. ranked No. 78 best-performing city in U.S.

The Baton Rouge metro area jumped 11 spots on the Milken Institute’s 2012 list of the 200 best-performing cities in the United States. The list, released this morning, says Baton Rouge jumped to No. 78 in 2012, up from No. 89 in 2011. The Milken Institute’s annual list ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. In most years, these give a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics, the institute says. On the list, Baton Rouge also ranks No. 21 for five-year job growth between 2006 and 2011, and No. 8 for five-year wage and salary growth between 2005 and 2010. The San Jose, Calif., metro area took top ranking on the 2012 list, followed by Austin, Texas. Other Louisiana metros ahead of Baton Rouge on the list include Lafayette, at No. 24 (up from No. 93 in 2011); New Orleans, at No. 45 (up from No. 101); and Shreveport, at No. 64 (down from No. 38). You can check out the full list and access the complete report from which it is compiled here.