Learn how POLICOM can help your
community grow and expand!
For more than twenty years, POLICOM has assisted and advised communities on how to improve their local economies.
POLICOM analyzes local and state economies, determines if they are growing or declining, identifies what is causing this to happen, and offers ideas and solutions to improve the situation.
From its research and educational programs, community and government leaders discover what is driving their economy and what the community will have to do to enhance the "economic quality of life" for the people living and working in the area.
Welcome to POLICOM
POLICOM recently completed a study which provides guidance on how to create a community economic development incentive program. To download the study, click here.
To download The Flow of Money ... How a Local Economy Grows and Expands click here.
2023 Economic Strength Rankings Now Posted.
Across the board, areas in Florida and North Carolina gained in economic strength and Nashville, TN and Boseman, MT are the top metropolitan and micropolitan areas in POLICOM’s annual economic strength rankings.
Each year POLICOM ranks the nation’s 384 metropolitan and 543 micropolitan areas for economic strength which is “the long-term tendency for an area to consistently grow in both size and quality.”
Among Florida’s 22 metropolitan areas, 21 of them gained in their ranking in 2023 when compared to the ranking in 2019. North Carolina also had significant improvement as 14 of its 17 metropolitan areas improved.
Conversely, a significant number of Pennsylvania and California metropolitan areas dropped in the rankings between 2023 and 2019 as 19 of Pennsylvania’s 20 and 23 of California’s 26 metropolitan areas declined.
The chart compares the ten most populated states. To determine how your state fared, go either metropolitan or micropolitan rankings, clip and paste the rankings and sort for your state. Simply subtract 2019 from 2023. Go to Videos to see how to sort for a state.
The Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metropolitan area regained the top spot among the 384 areas (Ranked #1 in 2020 and 2019).
For the sixth straight year, Boseman, MT (Gallatin County) is the strongest micropolitan area. With a population of 122,713 (13th highest among micros), Boseman is large enough to provide a workforce to support an array of different primary industries, enabling it to resist recession and to grow economically.
The Lebanon, NH-VT Micropolitan Area (Ranked 3rd) is comprised of four counties and has a population of 223,471 (largest micro), which is more than 177 metropolitan areas. However, it does not have an urban center of at least 50,000 people, thus does not qualify as a metropolitan area.
For the rankings, go to Metropolitan Area Rankings or Micropolitan Area Rankings.