Company principal Matt Anderson tells GlobeSt.com the scoringprocess is weighted toward employment growth but also includes fourother categories that helps create a more complete picture ofeconomic health and growth prospects. Those categories are:Productivity/Innovation, which measures economic output per personand patent filings; Business Climate, which looks at tax rates andavailability of capital; Economic Composition, which rates anarea's exposure to different employment sectors and the outlook forthose sectors; and Risk, which measures employment growthvolatility and correlation with national trends.

"We're trying to find cities with all the right ingredients forgood economic performance," says Anderson, who with partner SusanPersin has 30 years of real estate industry experience. "We thinkemployment growth is an important factor; however, it is not theonly measure of economic relevancy."

All of the top five metro areas have experienced rapid jobgrowth, and boast high rankings in other components of Foresight'sMarket Score methodology, says Anderson. Placing fifth through 10thwere San Diego, Las Vegas, Houston, Sacramento andPhiladelphia.