City of Chandler ranks high in economic growth study
Courtesy of City of Chandler
The city of Chandler ranked high nationally in a study of economic growth and other municipal metrics — though not quite as high as some neighboring jurisdictions.
The city of Chandler ranked high nationally in a study of economic growth and other municipal metrics — though not quite as high as some neighboring jurisdictions.
A study commissioned by CoworkingCafe highlighted the U.S. cities that experienced the most economic growth in recent years, split into categories of population size: large, mid-sized, and small, according to a news release.
Chandler took the fifth spot overall among mid-sized cities. The 13% growth in educational attainment and the 14% more housing units added both place Chandler fourth in mid-sized for these metrics.
The city also had a drop of 24% in crime from 2019-23, ranking fifth for this metric, the release states.
Chandler couldn’t keep pace with its neighbor to the east, however. The town of Gilbert was crowned as tops in the U.S. among mid-sized cities in the study. Gilbert had a 2% growth in employment rate, a 1% drop in unemployment rate and added 16% more housing units from 2019-23, ranking No. 2 among mid-sized in all three categories for these metrics.
Educational attainment grew by 13%, placing Gilbert third, while population increased by 12.8%, ranking fourth. The 32% growth in median earnings brought the median at $59,603, placing the city in the seventh spot for this growth, the release states.
Some resources are split between Chandler and Gilbert, such as a Chandler-Gilbert Community College, a significant number of Chandler Unified School District students and campuses that are in Gilbert and joint agreements for a city jail and a water treatment plant.
Coworking Cafe states it crunched the latest data from 2019 through 2023 across 11 key metrics, including GDP growth, job gains, housing expansion, export strength and infrastructure buildout.
One Chandler leader, City Council member Jane Poston, shared a story about the study on her social media, saying “The city makes the list for its economy, education and safety! #LoveChandler.”
Arizona, and more specifically the Phoenix metro area, experienced an incomparable economic growth between 2019-23, having eight locations in the top 10 across the three population brackets.
The Phoenix metro area experienced impressive growth in infrastructure with 25.8% increase in roadway miles over the five-year span, the release states.
The area’s GDP grew by 42% in the same timeframe, while business applications had 61% growth.
Mesa, another Chandler neighbor, took the No. 4 spot overall among large cities. The state’s third-largest city and 37th largest in the U.S. was ranked second-highest for median earnings growth – 38% – now standing at $43,958.
The employment rate grew by 1% for Mesa in the same timeframe, despite COVID-19, placing the city third for this metric among big cities, while a 9% drop in crime places Mesa eighth among large cities. The 5% increase in housing stock puts Mesa ninth.
Phoenix, the nation’s fifth-largest city, ranked seventh overall among large cities.
Goodyear, buoyed by a 29.2% growth in population and 38% more housing units, takes the crown among small cities, the study states.
Chandler’s most recent Economic Development newsletter mentions a new study from SmartAsset that shows Chandler ranks 16th overall among 348 cities for having “a job market that helps households reach their financial goals,” measuring unemployment rate, commute time and income growth.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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