New innovation index ranks Nashville top city in TN followed by Knoxville
As its name implies, NC TECH is the abbreviated name for the North Carolina Technology Association, and the organization bills itself as “the unifying voice for the technology community in North Carolina.”
NC TECH engaged Economic Leadership to develop the new “Tech Innovation Index” that tracks how competitive North Carolina’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) compared to 110 regions across the country. From the perspective of the Tar Heel state, the results are positive, as you might expect. Durham-Chapel Hill ranks 6th overall, followed closely by Raleigh-Cary at #7. Other North Carolina MSAs that were ranked are Charlotte (#27), Wilmington (#60), Winston-Salem (#90), Fayetteville (#92), Asheville (#93), Jacksonville (#94), and Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton (#103).
The top five metropolitan statistical areas in the new index are Seattle, San Jose, Austin, Boston, and San Francisco respectively.
How did Tennessee rank? Nashville and its large MSA ranked #34, Knoxville was #61, Chattanooga came in at #88, and Memphis placed #91. Other rankings for nearby cities included Charleston, SC (#50), Louisville (#65), Jacksonville (#66), Greenville (#71), Birmingham (#72), and Columbia, SC (#80).
