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| The Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER) developed the Prosperity Index in 2005 to provide business and community leaders in the Sacramento Region a valuable tool to measure regional economic prosperity and track its performance against competitors in order to evaluate the competition, identify opportunities for improvement, and ultimately impact change in the Region. Along with the national average, 12 competitor regions were chosen as benchmarks for this analysis based on feedback from economic development organizations regarding metropolitan areas that often compete with the Region for business location and expansion projects. CSER updates the Prosperity Index and all related elements annually. The Economy element (previously referred to as the Business component) is updated quarterly through SACTO's Quarterly Economic Report in order to allow for more frequent evaluations of the local business climate.
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The Sacramento Region ranked eigth on the 2011 PROSPERITY INDEX, recieving a combined score of 8.0 out of a possible 10. The Region's healthy performance on the Residents element was restrained by modest rankings on the Livability and Sustainability elements and a weak score on the Economy element. Overall, the Sacramento Region presents above average economic prosperity and a modest competitive position relative to its main competitors for business location and expansion projects.
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With a score of 2.7 out of a possible 10, the Sacramento Region ranked 13th on the fourth quarter 2011 Prosperity Index Economy element. The Region dropped one place since the third quarter of 2011 as the score declined from 3.1 to 2.7. The last place region, Stockton, was the only area to rank below Sacramento with a score only slightly lower at 2.6. The other measured inland area in California also ranked below the national average in the fourth quarter of 2011 while the three competitive coastal markets in the state all exceeded the national average, reflecting relatively strong economic conditions. In fact, the SF Bay Area took the top spot with the best possible score of 10, above Austin and Portland. These three regions kept the same rankings over the past quarter, but both Austin and Portland posted score declines. There appears to be four tiers emerging in the Economy element, which are reflected in the fourth quarter 2011 rankings—the Sacramento Region places among the bottom tier further illustrating the comparatively weak economic performance and slow recovery.
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