Raleigh Ranked #1 Best Performing Large City by Milken Institute

The Milken Institute named Raleigh the Best Performing Large City (BPC) in its 2025 report. After placing second in last year's analysis, Raleigh’s rise to the top spot exhibits excellent performance across most of the BPC categories, placing in the top quartile in 11 out of 13 metrics.

The BCP index is based on 13 metrics that fall into three categories: labor market performance, high-tech impact, and access to economic opportunities.

Labor Market Performance: Raleigh has long benefited from its proximity to three major research universities and the steady supply of highly skilled workers they provide. Raleigh’s employment has grown above the national rate in every major economic sector since 2018.

High Tech Impact: Raleigh has a thriving high-tech sector, specializing in software publishing and computer systems design, where Raleigh has a substantially higher GDP share than the national average. The metro’s high-tech sector is well diversified with various sub-industry activities.

Access to Economic Opportunities: Raleigh has been a popular destination among domestic migrants, resulting in rapid population growth over the past decade. Despite this growth, Raleigh has maintained its overall housing affordability relative to many of its peers.

Download the full report here.

News Coverage:

U.S. News: These U.S. Cities Are Economic Superstars

U.S. News: Carolina Reapers: Job Growth, Tech Spell Success for Raleigh, Charleston

TBJ: Raleigh crowned best-performing city for economic growth