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MU study finds Columbia well-positioned compared to similar U.S. cities

Media contact:

Robert E. Thomas
Information Specialist
University of Missouri Cooperative Media Group
Phone: 573-882-2480
E-Mail: thomasr@missouri.edu

Published: Monday, July 13, 2009

Story source:

Tom Johnson, 573-882-2157

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A study comparing Columbia to 24 other communities with similar characteristics shows the city is well-positioned in several key economic areas.

Columbia ranks seventh among its peers in 2002-2006 employment growth and 13th in personal per capita income, according to a new report from the University of Missouri Community Policy Analysis Center.

The “City of Columbia Peer Community Comparison and Scenario Report” looks at population growth, employment, housing, income, property values and retail sales, said Tom Johnson, director of the center.

Analysts chose peer cities with comparable population characteristics, economic structures and universities. Peer communities include Boulder, Colo.; Lincoln, Neb.; Ames, Iowa; Manhattan, Kan.; and College Station, Texas.

For 2002-2006, Columbia ranked in the top half of peer communities in growth of manufacturing and retirement-related employment, and ranked first in job growth in the retail sector. However, Columbia was in the bottom half for growth in high-tech and private medical employment. The city lost jobs in the insurance sector between 2002 and 2006.

The study also explored the economic impact of seven different population and employment scenarios based on projections from a 2008 CPAC study, “City of Columbia Baseline Report 2005-2015.”

All seven scenarios anticipate that public expenditures in Columbia and Boone County will grow faster than public revenues, though the city and county are projected to maintain a “comfortable margin” between revenues and expenditures through 2015.

MU’s Community Policy Analysis Center taps expertise from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; MU Extension; and the Truman School of Public Affairs. MU and the city of Columbia funded the study.

The complete report is online at www.cpac.missouri.edu.

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