A rising ranking

The Gazette Editorial Board

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Cedar Rapids received an early Christmas present this week from the Milken Institute.

The city jumped 15 spots in the institute's annual rankings of the nation's 200 largest cities, based on economic performance, including job creation, wages, gross domestic product, technology and sustainability. Cedar Rapids is No. 13 this year. On a list of 179 smaller cities, Iowa City ranked eighth.

Cedar Rapids' ranking was boosted, in part, by its high score for five-year job growth, which was 14th best. Cedar Rapids' overall ranking is considerably higher than Des Moines, No. 83, and Davenport, No. 107.

Local development leaders were obviously pleased. And it's been a good 2011 for the city, as far as rankings go. Cedar Rapids also scored high on lists of cities for affordable housing and the best places for business and careers. Kiplinger's Personal Finance placed Cedar Rapids in its top 10 best value cities in the country.

But no one should be content to rest on our rankings. Although the local economy has its bright spots, struggling small businesses and folks looking for jobs, better opportunities or more earning power aren't ready to pop the Champagne just yet. There's still much work to do in building a regional economic engine that's competitive not only nationally, but globally.

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