Metropolitan Orlando, with a four-county population of 1.2 million, competed favorably in the 32-page report with high-growth, higher-populated hubs such as Las Vegas, Austin, Phoenix, Atlanta, Sacramento, Tampa and Salt Lake City.

But the crown accolade came to the city in the services employment growth column. Based on annual growth rates, Orlando outranked Atlanta, Austin, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Tampa. Fort Worth, TX was No. 1 in the contract construction employment growth sector.

"Demand for future office space can be determined by examing employment trends," Kevin K. Nunnink, the report's editor and Integra's chairman, notes.

Sacramento and Austin made the services employment growth column for the first time while West Palm Beach and Las Vegas dropped out.

On the top 10-city population growth rate chart, Orlando was second behind Las Vegas, growing at a 2.72% annual clip. Las Vegas is moving at a 2.74% rate. Three other Florida cities made the chart--West Palm Beach in fifth place at a 2.55% rate; Fort Myers, sixth place, 2.42%; and Tampa, in 10th place, 2.27%.

In household growth, Orlando again topped Las Vegas with a 2.98% rate versus 2.96% for the gamblers' city. Orlando has led this column since 1996. Its numbers impressed the report's analysts. "The number of households in an area directly affects demand for housing and goods," the report states.

Orlando also was at the top of the class in total employment growth, again beating out Las Vegas. Orlando's 4.12% growth rate compared to 3.74% in Vegas.

In average household income, however, Orlando was in seventh position, behind Miami, Fort Myers, FL, Hartford, CT, Baltimore, MD, Fort Worth, and Oakland, CA.

Orlando placed eighth in manufacturing employment growth and sixth in wholesale employment growth. But in a chart that combined wholesale and retail employment growth, Orlando was No. 1 with a 4.24% growth rate, ahead of Austin (3.92%); Phoenix (3.9%); Las Vegas (3.81%) and Atlanta (3.71%).

In retail employment growth alone, Orlando again was at the top of the heap with a 4.16% growth rate, beating out Austin (3.73%); Phoenix (3.71%); and Las Vegas (3.66%).

Orlando score again in the finance, insurance and real estate employment growth category, emerging as No. 1 with a 4.16% growth rate. That number eclipsed Austin (3.92%); Phoenix (3.88%); Las Vegas (3.87%); Fort Myers (3.83%) and Sacramento (3.81%).

Integra editor Nunnink notes in the report, Orlando is "a gateway city for new immigrants as well as a compelling draw for families and retirees." He says with an employment rate below the national average, Orlando is "also outpacing the national average in household growth and population."

Orlando area's theme parks are globally known for drawing tourists but the city's tourism industry itself has "expanded to include beaches, ecotourism, golf, antiquing, fishing and cultural venues," the report notes in what some critics might argue is a chamber of commerce-like sermon.

That expansion, however, is contributing to the city's commercial real estate industry's success to date, Orlando boosters such as George D. Livingston, founder/chairman of Maitland, FL-based Realvest Partners Inc., maintain.

"It's not difficult to imagine that, given the relative geographical flexibility of high-tech industries and their desire to attract the brightest workers, Orlando's emergence as a world-class center for high tech, telecommunications and information technology development and manufacturing is not far away," Livingston tells GlobeSt.com. "The first decade of the New Millennium may well be Orlando's finest."

NPA Data Services of Washington, D.C. supplied the bulk of the statistical material for Integra's report. Integra's 44 offices also contributed. Michael S. Sorich heads Integra's Orlando office. Bradord I. Johnson manages the Tampa unit.