College Station/Bryan ranked among the nation's best-performing metros
College Station-Bryan is ranked No. 28 nationally and No. 3 in Texas on the Milken Institute's annual list of the nation's best-performing large cities. The local metropolitan area was ranked No. 37 in 2025 and No. 45 in 2024.
The rankings are based on 13 indicators that reflect a metropolitan area's capacity to sustain strong labor market growth, maintain high living standards, and encourage innovation. The large-city category included 206 metros with populations of at least 275,000.
Milken rated Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas, as the nation's top-performing large metro. Texas cities ranked in the top 50 include Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (No. 9), Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine (No. 27), College Station-Bryan (No. 28), Dallas-Plano-Irving (No. 35), El Paso (No. 40), and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (No. 42).
‘The continued rise in the Milken rankings underscores the strength of our regional economy and the impact of our long-term planning and economic development efforts,” the City of College Station’s chief development officer, Michael Ostrowski, said. “We’re seeing the results of sustained investment in workforce, infrastructure and innovation, and this recognition sends a strong signal to companies and talent considering our region.”
The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on financial, physical, mental, and environmental health.
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