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 2010 RANKINGS AND RECOGNITION

Greater Omaha
  • Greater Omaha was ranked among the top 5 Metro Areas that are Hot (Money – 2010)
  • The Greater Omaha area was ranked in the 21 strongest performing metro areas for the first quarter 2010 (Brookings Institution – June 2010)
  • #9 – Best Cities for Families (Parenting – June 2010)
  • Omaha was included among mid-size cities that have experienced intense housing development at double or more the national rate (Reed Construction Data – June 2010)
  • #16 – Best Places to Raise a Family (BestLife – May 2010)
  • Omaha was ranked as a Best Place for Buying a Home (Money - May 2010)
  • #6 – America's Most Livable Cities 2010 (Forbes - April 2010)
  • #31 – Best City for Running a Business Based on Fun (Portfolio.com/bizjournals - April 2010)
  • #8 – Top U.S. Growth Cities for 2009 (U-Haul International – April 2010)
  • #7 – Best Places for Business and Careers (Forbes – April 2010)
  • Omaha was ranked in America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities (Bicycling – April 2010)
  • #8 – Top U.S. Metros for Corporate Real Estate Projects in 2009 (Site Selection – March 2010)
  • Greater Omaha was listed in the Top 20 Most Employed Cities in America (Business Insider – March 2010)
  • #9 – Cities That are Having an Awesome Recovery (Business Insider – March 2010)
  • The Greater Omaha area was ranked in the 20 strongest performing metro areas for the fourth quarter 2009 (Brookings Institution – March 2010)
  • #20 – Best Labor Markets for Young Adults (Portfolio.com/bizjournals – March 2010)
  • Papillion, part of the Greater Omaha MSA, was #2 on the “Most Affordable Suburbs in America” (Bloomberg BusinessWeek – March 2010)
  • Bellevue, part of the Greater Omaha MSA, was recognized as the fastest growing city in Nebraska (BusinessWeek – January 2010)

Nebraska
 
  • #3 – States with Ridiculously Low Unemployment (Business Insider – 2010)
  • Nebraska has the lowest state debt burden in the nation (CNNMoney.com – 2010)
  • #5 – Best Education Climate (Business Facilities – 2010 state rankings)
  • #2 – Employment Leaders (Business Facilities – 2010 state rankings)
  • #4 – Top States for Quality of Life (Business Facilities – 2010 state rankings)
  • #8 – Biofuels Manufacturing Research Leaders (Business Facilities – 2010 state rankings)
  • #6 – Top Pro-Business States for 2010 (Pollina Corporate Real Estate – 2010)
  • #13 – Top States for Business 2010 (CNBC – 2010)
  • #6 – Most Affordable States for Car Insurance (2010 Car Insurance Affordability Index – 2010)
  • #4 – Top States for Volunteering (Corporation for National & Community Service – June 2010)
  • Nebraska was ranked among the Most Enterprise-Friendly States (U.S. Chamber of Commerce & National Chamber Foundation – May 2010)
  • #22 – Best States for Business 2010 (Chief Executive - May/June 2010)
  • #3 – Legal Climate (U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform – April 2010)
  • #3 – Fiscal Fitness (Forbes – March 2010)
  • #4 – Top Wind Potential States (National Renewable Energy Laboratory – February 2010)
  • #2 – Best Job Markets in the Gallup Job Creation Index 2009 (Gallup – February 2010)
  • #3 – Economic Confidence 2009 (Gallup – February 2010)
2009 RANKINGS AND RECOGNITION

Greater Omaha
 
  • The Greater Omaha area was ranked in the 20 strongest performing metro areas for the third quarter 2009 (Brookings Institution – 2009)
  • #3 Best U.S. Cities for Business (MarketWatch – December 2009)
  • #3 – Cities Where Americans Are Getting Richer (Forbes – December 2009)
  • #1 – Best Bang-for-the-Buck City (Forbes – November 2009)
  • #1 – America’s Fastest-Recovering Cities (Forbes – November 2009)
  • #3 – Best Mid-sized Metros for Small Business Startups (CNNMoney.com – 2009)
  • The Greater Omaha MSA received the top billing for having the “Lowest Urban Unemployment at Five Percent” (Bureau of Labor Statistics – August 2009)
  • Greater Omaha is among 79 of 381 metros studied nationwide that are currently considered in recovery from the recession (Moody’s Economy.com – August 2009)
  • #8 – America’s 10 Best Undervalued Places to Live (IHS Global Insights  – 2009)
  • #12 America’s Best Cheap Cities (Forbes – 2009)
  • #25 U.S. Cities Sustainability Ranking (SustainLane.com – 2009)
  • Omaha was listed among 15 other cities on the list of “Logistics Hotspots for 2009” (Inbound Logistics – 2009)
  • Papillion, part of the Greater Omaha MSA, was #3 on the “Best Places to Live in America – Small Towns” (CNNMoney.com – 2009)
  • Papillion was also #3 on the “Best Homes Deals in the Best Places” (CNNMoney.com – 2009)
  • #10 America’s Most Recession-Resistant Cities (Brookings Institution – 2009)
  • #6 Best Mid-sized Cities for Next Gen Workers (Next Generation Consulting – 2009)
  • #5 Best Places to Start Over (BusinessWeek – 2009)
  • Omaha is one of “America’s 25 Strongest Housing Markets” (Forbes – 2009)
  • #17 – Best Quality of Life (Bizjournals.com – 2009)
  • The Greater Omaha suburb Papillion was ranked #1 in Nebraska on the “2009 Best Affordable Suburbs” list (BusinessWeek – 2009)
  • #6 – Affordable Places to Retire (Yahoo! Real Estate – 2009)
  • Greater Omaha is one of the Top 10 Mid-size Metros for 2008 (Site Selection – 2009)
  • #11 – 2009 Best Large Cities for Job Growth (NewGeography.com – 2009)
  • Omaha is among the “Top 10 Fittest Cities in America”  (Men’s Fitness – 2009)
  • #35 – Best Places for Business and Careers (Forbes – 2009)
  • #33 – Best Cost of Living (Forbes – 2009)
  • #35 – Projected Job Growth (Forbes – 2009)
  • #6 – Most Favorable Cities for a Plant that Turns an Ethanol Byproduct into Health Food (The Boyd Company – 2009)
 Nebraska
 
  • Eighty-three percent of working-age people in Nebraska (age 16 to 64) are in the workforce, the highest rate among all 50 states (2008 American Community Survey – data released in 2009)
  • Nebraska is in the “Top 10 States Where Struggling Americans Can Find a Fresh Start” (BusinessWeek – 2009)
  • #11 – Best States for Business in 2009 (CNBC.com – 2009)
  • #2 – Rate of Volunteering (“Volunteering in America – 2009)
  • #8 – America’s Least Expensive States for Closing Costs (US News and World Reports – 2009)
  • #9 – Best States for Business (Forbes – 2009)
  • #7 energy costs according the “Energy Cost Index” (Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council – 2009)
  • Nebraska posted the seventh highest growth in real income in the nation among “Income Growth Leaders” (U.S. Census Bureau; 2008 data released in 2009)
  • As of May 2009, Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was less than half the national average (4.4 vs. 9.4) and was tied with North Dakota for the lowest unemployment rate in the nation (Bureau of Labor Statistics – 2009)
  • Nebraska was one of only nine states to receive a "Green" rating for the "Best Places to Avoid a Recession" (JobBait.com – 2009)
  • Nebraska was identified as being more than 90 percent recession proof from 1991 through 2009 (JobBait.com – 2009)
  • Nebraska was listed among only 10 states whose economies are outperforming the U.S. economy as a whole (Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government – 2009)
  • #16 –  America's Best States to Live (Forbes – 2009)
  • #1 – Financially Happiest State in the Union (MainStreet.com Happiness Index – 2009)
  • Nebraska is listed as a “Top 10 Pro-Business State for 2009” (Pollina Corporate Real Estate – 2009)
  • #5 – Best States for Business(Directorship Boardroom Intelligence – 2009)
  • #7 – Healthiest States in America for 2008 (AOL Money and Finance – 2009)
  • #6 – National Physical Health Ranking (Forbes - 2009)
  • Nebraska is among the “Top 20 Safest States for 2009” (WalletPop.com – 2009)
  • The state of Nebraska ranked fifth among all states in a comparison of 44 quality of life characteristics (Congressional Quarterly Press – 2009)
  • #7 – Lowest Cost of Living in 2008 (CNBC.com – 2009)
  • #12 Quality of Life in 2008 (CNBC.com – 2009)

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