Three Utah Cities Ranked as ‘Best Places for Business and Careers’

Provo, Salt Lake City and Ogden are all ranked near the top of Forbes latest look at the best business climates in America.

Provo came in at #3, Salt Lake clocked in at #8 and Ogden is #11 in the latest rankings.

Provo follows Raleigh, North Carolina and Des Moines, Iowa in the battle for the top spot. 

Provo, Utah, ranks third overall this year and leads a trio of Utah places near the top with Salt Lake City at No. 8 and Ogden ranked No. 11. Brigham Young University brings a stabilizing presence to the $19 billion Provo economy. Job growth for Provo was tops in the country last year, and it ranks seventh best over the past five years. Global multilevel marketing firm Nu Skin Enterprises, which is based in Provo, opened a new $100 million headquarters in the city in October.

Des Moines was last year’s #1 city on the list.

Denver and Fort Collins Colorado are #4 and 5 on the list, while Lincoln, Nebraska and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma are ahead of Salt Lake City. Seattle, Washington and Nashville, Tennessee just edge out Ogden for the final spots in the top-10.

The rankings look at the top-200 largest metro areas in the country, rating each on a dozen factors including the costs of doing business and living, quality of life and the education level of the labor force.

Atlantic City, New Jersey ranked last for the second-straight year.