Lifestyles & Consumer Interest
2009 BEST CITIES: OUR TOP 10
No. 10: Raleigh, N.C.
Population: 1,001,313
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 35.6
Cost-of-Living Index: 100 (100 being national average)
Median Household Income: $57,974
Salary Growth (2004-2008): 5.7%
Employment Growth (U.S. Avg.: 1.3%): 3.12%
Jobless Rate (Nat. Avg.: 8.6%): 8.3%
Raleigh has an enviable economic base, built on three universities -- UNC, Duke, and North Carolina State -- and Research Triangle Park, where employers in everything from biotech to computers still thrive. Although the local unemployment rate has doubled in the past year, to 8.6%, it's still lower than the 10.8% rate for the state as a whole.
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