In a survey developed by Pepperdine's School of Public Policy for New Geography, Joel Kotkin says the results are depressing. Only 13 metro areas saw any job growth in the last year.
Jacksonville, North Carolina saw the most job growth according to the survey, with an economy that grew 1.4%.
Kotkin writes, "With the exception of Austin, Texas, all the top 10 growers--and all the net gainers--were small communities. Americans have been moving to smaller towns and cities for much of the past decade, as well as jobs, and this recession may end up accelerating the trend."
Kotkin notes that much of the job growth over the last year was in government jobs, driven by the stimulus package.
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HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research