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Colorado State University is the Fort Collins area's largest employer.
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March 21, 2008
Fort Collins No. 3 in U.S.
Forbes magazine's 10th annual ranking of Best Places for Business and Careers in the U.S. ranks
Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, as the number three Best Metro area, behind Raleigh,
N.C., and Boise, Idaho.
Colorado State's impact singled-out
A newcomer to the top 10, Fort Collins is one of the smaller places on the list with a population of
282,000. The Forbes special report notes, "Fort Collins is home to Colorado Sate University, which is the
area's largest employer and a big reason why 40 percent of residents have a college degree, the sixth highest
rate in the country."
"Fort Collins also benefits from strong income growth and business costs well below other Colorado locales
like Boulder and Denver."
Educated labor supply is a key factor
Common themes for the business-friendly metros include:
- an educated labor supply
- low business costs
- solid job growth
The Forbes rankings cover the 200 largest metro areas (populations over 240,000) as defined by the U.S. Office
of Management and budget. Data from Economy.com's business cost index was also incorporated into the rankings.
Fort Collins' specific category rankings:
- Educational Attainment - Fort Collins, #6: share of population over age 25 with a bachelor's degree or higher.
- Cost of Doing Business - Fort Collins, #60: Index based on cost of labor, energy, taxes and office space.
- Job Growth - Fort Collins, #80: 5-year annualized figures
- Other Colorado metro areas in the rankings include Colorado Springs at No. 15, Greeley at No. 57 and Boulder at No. 77.
Read the full story at Forbes.com.
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