Pa., Philly, Pgh rank near bottom for US job growth: study

Pennsylvania ranks among the weakest states and its major cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, ranked near the bottom for job growth in 2013, reports Prof. Lee McPheters of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in an annual study.

The fastest-growing job centers - Riverside and San Francisco, Calif.; Denver; Houston; Orlando -- posted gains of 3 to 4 percent. The national average was 1.7% (about 2.26 million jobs, net), about the same as in 2012.

Among cities ranked in the survey, Pittsburgh ranked dead last, and Philadelphia was second-to-last. Next-worst were St. Louis and Cleveland. All added fewer than 1% to their workforces.

Among states, oil producer North Dakota ranked highest, followed by Utah and California, all with job growth in the 3%-4% range. Pennsylvania ranked third from the last, with only Arkansas and West Virginia adding fewer jobs, proportionately. McPheters noted that Pennsylvania is among the states whose governors are running for re-election this fall with weak economic-development records.

More at  www.wpcarey.asu.edu/jobgrowth