ARIZONA NEWS

Three Arizona cities named most prosperous, one most distressed

Sep 28, 2017, 4:16 AM | Updated: Sep 29, 2017, 4:19 pm

An aerial shot of the water tower in Gilbert, Arizona. (Facebook/GilbertNow)...

An aerial shot of the water tower in Gilbert, Arizona. (Facebook/GilbertNow)

(Facebook/GilbertNow)

PHOENIX — Three cities in Arizona have been ranked among the most prosperous in the country, while one Arizona city has been ranked as the most distressed city in the nation, according to a study from the Economic Innovation Group.

Gilbert was ranked as the most prosperous city — or the strongest city economically — in the country, while Chandler came in at No. 4 and Scottsdale ranked at tenth in the nation.

But on the other end of the economic spectrum was Tucson, which ranked as the most distressed city in the nation.

The study broke down data from more than 26,000 ZIP codes, ranking cities based on their economic well-being: Prosperous, comfortable, mid-tier, at risk and distressed.

According to the study, one in six Americans are living in ZIP codes that are considered economically distressed, while one in four are living in communities that are considered prosperous.

Gilbert was ranked as the most prosperous city in the nation because 99.9 percent of its total population of 230,780 people were living in prosperous ZIP codes. Chandler, for comparison, only had 64.9 percent of its 250,000 population who lived prosperously.

Scottsdale barely made the top ten cities, with 60.9 percent of its population of 227,470 people who lived in prosperous ZIP codes.

The cities that joined Gilbert, Chandler and Scottsdale in the top 10 most prosperous cities nationwide were Plano, Texas; Irvine, California; San Francisco, California; Henderson, Nevada; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California and Austin, Texas.

In a statement, John Lettieri, EIG’s senior director for policy and strategy said there is a “strong, booming, disproportionate amount of growth” happening in top communities, while cities at the bottom are going in the opposite direction.

Tucson ranked as the most distressed city, with 58.6 percent of its population of 528,370 living in distressed ZIP codes.

Cleveland, Ohio; Neward, New Jersey; Buffalo, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Stockton, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also joined Tucson as the most distressed.

The company said the reason for the large gap between the most prosperous and most distressed cities is simple: Jobs. Some job markets, like Cleveland, Detroit and Stockton, simply never recovered from the Great Recession of 2008, leaving people to move away from these cities in search of opportunity.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

fentanyl pills, fentanyl bust Phoenix...

KTAR.com

Weekend Wrap: Here are the biggest Phoenix news stories from Feb. 7-9

Here are some of the top Valley news stories from Feb. 7-9, including a Phoenix man being pulled over with more than 100,000 fentanyl pills.

7 hours ago

Economists foresee labor shortages in construction and agriculture as a result of President Donald ...

Matthew DeWees and Katrina Michalak/Cronkite News

Donald Trump’s mass deportations could mean higher costs and labor shortages in Arizona

Deportations ordered by President Trump could hit Arizona’s agriculture and construction sectors hard, pushing up prices for shoppers.

11 hours ago

Immigration Arizona criminal charges 565 people USAO...

Payne Moses

More than 500 charged with immigration-related crime in Arizona over recent 2-week period

From Jan. 21-Feb. 3, a total of 565 people were charged with illegal immigration activity by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

13 hours ago

Two Valley freeway ramps will be closed for the next two months....

Kevin Stone

2 Valley on-ramps closing for 2 months as part of freeway improvement projects

A couple of metro Phoenix freeway ramps are closing for the next two months as part of ongoing improvement projects.

17 hours ago

Honeywell Aerospace...

Collin Huguley and Jeff Gifford/Phoenix Business Journal

Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace to go its own way amid company split

Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace Technologies is going to become a separate entity now that Honeywell International Inc. plans to follow through with a major shake-up.

18 hours ago

fatal shooting southeast Phoenix one man dead...

Payne Moses

Police investigating fatal shooting that left 1 man dead in southeast Phoenix

Phoenix police are investigating a fatal shooting in southeast Phoenix on Friday that left one man dead. The incident is being viewed as an act of self-defense.

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How IRAs are a helpful tool in retirement planning

When it comes to retirement planning, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a great tool for income growth.

...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford’s Operation Santa Claus: Spreading holiday cheer through pickleball

Phoenix, AZ – Sanderson Ford, a staple in the Arizona community, is once again gearing up for its annual Operation Santa Claus charity drive.

...

Schwartz Laser Eye Center

Don’t miss the action with this game-changing procedure

PHOENIX -- The clear lens exchange procedure has emerged as a popular alternative to LASIK eye surgery.

Three Arizona cities named most prosperous, one most distressed