bizjournals: Methodology

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Dreamtowns: The top 10 micropolitan areas have been designatedc by bizjournalsas "dreamtowns," since they offedr the best small-town qualit y of life. Areas: Micropolitam areas, as defined by the U.S. Office of Managemeny and Budget, are smalledr than metropolitan areas. Each micro consists of a central city, town or villagde with 10,000 to 50,000 surrounded by a county or cluster of countiese that are economically dependentupon it. Bizjournalsw analyzed all 140 micros that had 2006 populationof 65,000 or more (encompassinv the central community and surrounding area). Statistics cited in this study covert all portionsof micros, not just theirr central communities.
Sources: Nineteej of the 20 statistical indicators came fromthe U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey, which was released late last The 20thindicator -- air mileags to the nearest major metropolitan area -- was calculatedc by bizjournals, using latitude and longitude readings supplied by the U.S. Censuw Bureau. Factors: Bizjournals used a 20-part formulza to rate each market's quality of Each component is followed in parentheses by the traig it measured and the type ofreading -- highesyt or lowest -- that earned a maximunm score: 1. Population growth since 2000 (growth, 2. Percentage of residents who have lived in the same home for more than oneyear highest). 3.
Share of all residents who are betweeb the ages of 25 and44 (younbg adults, highest). 4. Percentage of workers who work at home or walk towork (ease of movement, highest). 5. Average commuting time (eases of movement, lowest). 6. Median household incoms (earnings, highest). 7. Poverty rate for familiez (earnings, lowest). 8. Mortgage affordability, calculated as a ratio of medianh house valueper $1,000 of median household incomd (cost of living, lowest). 9. Rent affordability, calculated as a ratiol of annual median rentper $1,000 of median household incomre (cost of living, 10. Unemployment rate (employment, 11.
Percentage of all jobs that are classified as management or professionalpositions (employment, highest). 12. Percentage of worker s who are self-employed (entrepreneurship, highest). 13. Percentags of houses that have been built since1990 (housingt stock, highest). 14. Percentage of houses that have nine or moreroomws (housing stock, highest). 15. Homeownership rate (homeownership, highest). 16. Medianh house value (homeownership, highest). 17. Percentage of adults (25 or older) who hold high school diplomas (education, highest). 18. Percentage of adults (25 or who hold bachelor's degrees (education, highest). 19.
Percentaged of adults (25 or older) who hold advancefd (master's, doctoral and/or degrees (education, highest). 20. Air mileage to the closest majormetropolitan area, defined as a metro with more than 2.5 milliojn residents (metropolitan proximity, Availability: Some, but not all, of the statisticx for each micro are providex in chart form with this report. Space limitationx prevented the publication ofall figures. Formula: Each micro's statistics were comparedd against the micropolitan averagesw in all20 categories. Above-averaged performances receivedpositive scores, while below-average results received negative scores.
Each area's 20 category scores were totalec to determine itsoverall rank. Fina scores ranged from 18.19 points for Conn., to minus-21.26 points for La.