Quality of Life/Business Environment
• Bizjournals.com recently ranked Springfield among the top 50 mid-sized metros (#40) for “quality of life.” Springfield ranked higher than cities such as Little Rock, Ark., Tulsa, Okla., and Chattanooga, Tenn.

• Forbes Magazine ranked Springfield in the top 20 percent of cities nationwide for “best places for business and careers.”  Springfield was the highest ranking city in Missouri and also ranked above places such as Columbus, Ohio, Savannah, Georgia and Pittsburgh, Penn. 

• The Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University gave the State of Missouri an “A” grade for tax climate on its 2009 Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card.


Growth
• The Springfield area is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the state of Missouri, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Recently released 2008 numbers show the five-county metro area grew by more than six-thousand residents in 2008, moving the total population to 426,144. Since 2000, the area’s population has increased 15.7 percent.  The Springfield metropolitan area is defined as Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas Counties.

• Sam’s Club has announced it will hire 250 people to coincide with the opening of its new location on South Campbell Avenue.