Tampa Bay records highest jump in July’s economic rankings Michael Leibel Editorial Intern- Tampa Bay Business Journal The Tampa-St. Petersburg area improved the most out of 102 during a six-month period in terms of economic vitality. The metro area currently ranks 23rd on July’s On Numbers Economic Index, which shows economic strength based on statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This is a jump of 71 places from January, when the Tampa-St. Petersburg market ranked 98. Strong job growth and declining unemployment have helped economic vitality, according to index creator G. Scott Thomas. Tampa Bay has seen increases in retail sales and private-sector jobs. Private sector job growth is up 3.54 percent from a year ago, and Tampa-St. Petersburg’s unemployment rate, recorded in May, is 6.9 percent, down from 8.7 percent last year.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:55:46 +0000