Augusta’s diversified economic sectors and high growth continue to fuel robust job opportunity despite a sluggish national economy. Our city has received top honors in national rankings of housing markets, healthcare, tourism, workforce and business environments.  As a testament to this, in October 2009, Business Week ranked Augusta #23 out of the 40 Strongest Metro Economies in the U.S, and Newsgeography.com ranked Augusta #20 in its compilation of Best Mid-Sized Cities for Job Growth in 2010.

Recognition of Augusta’s economic strength doesn’t end there.  Forbes Magazine’s November, 2009 Best Bang for the Buck Cities places Augusta at 5th in the nation, and, on its list of 100 Cities Where Americans are Getting Richer, Forbes ranks Augusta 44th. Southern Business & Development magazine named Augusta one of the Top 10 Comeback Cities of the South in 2008. The publication also cited the 1,800-acre Augusta Corporate Park as a Top 10 MegaSite in the South in 2009. MSN/Money Magazine has also recognized Augusta, naming it the second Most Recession Proof City in the United States in 2010.

Likewise, in 2010 the Brookings Institute named Augusta the second Strongest-Performing Metro area in the U.S. and the seventh Most Resilient Metro Economy in the nation. Augusta came in at #18 on the Brookings Intstitute’s ranking of cities for Economic Performance. Contributing to the city’s steady growth, stable economy and desirable quality of life are Augusta’s strong base of manufacturers, large employers, world-class medical community and strategic military base.