For the second time this year, San Jose can claim bragging rights for being No. 1 in a ranking of the most dynamic or innovative places.
On Tuesday, a report from the organization Heartland Forward found that the San Jose metropolitan area — which includes Sunnyvale and Santa Clara — took the top spot in its Most Dynamic Metropolitans report. The metro area covering San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley was No. 3 — curiously, right after the retirement community known as The Villages in Florida.
"While experiencing an 8.3% decline in employment in 2020, jobs rebounded in 2021 and strong income growth over the medium term, along with the knowledge-intensity of its young firms, helped sustain its high ranking," Heartland Forward said in its report. "Many workers chose to work remotely, but most remained in exurban locations, places beyond the city and suburbs of the Bay Area."
The other two metropolitan areas that ranked in Heartland Forward's top five are in Utah, with St. George at No. 4 and Provo-Orem at No. 5.
Earlier this year, JLL, the real estate and investment management firm, named San Jose as the most innovative city in the world. The capital of Silicon Valley beat out Tokyo, which ranked No. 2, and San Francisco, which placed No. 3.
"Similar to 2019, the U.S. is dominating the global innovation scene," JLL said in a press release announcing its rankings. "Silicon Valley, in particular, stands out as an epicenter of innovation, while cities like Boston and New York continue to attract capital and corporates, as well as top talent, due to their close proximity to major research universities."
