The Greater Peoria Region continues to rise in national rankings. The Milken Institute’s annual survey of Best-Performing Cities reveals that the Greater Peoria Region jumped 19 spots on the list from last year. We now rank 68th on the list of the top 200 largest cities in the nation.

Jim McConoughey, President & CEO of The Heartland Partnership says this news proves we are bouncing back from the recession quite nicely and this region is a good place to do business. “Seeing the Greater Peoria Region rank highest in Illinois and outrank many of our Midwestern competitors is great news because it proves that we are doing things right. We have a constant, collaborative and focused effort on growing our regional economy and enhancing our regional business climate and it is working. But we can’t stop now. We have to continue our efforts throughout the entire region, in order to remain competitive.”

The Greater Peoria Region received the highest ranking in Illinois and only a handful of Midwestern cities outranked the Greater Peoria area.

• 13 Cedar Rapids IA
• 22 Omaha NE
• 33 Des Moines IA
• 45 Lexington KY
• 60 Springfield MO

Texas cities snagged four of the top five spots while Michigan, Indiana and Florida all had several cities at the bottom of the list.

The 2011 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index 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.