AUBURN, Ala.- Auburn recently ranked No. 23 on Heartland Forward's list of the "Most Dynamic Metropolitans" in the U.S. The area also ranked No. 5 on its list of the Top 10 "Heartland Metros," which evaluated the 20 states in the center of the country.

The Auburn-Opelika metro was highlighted for its "strengths in higher education, research and industry collaboration." The region ranked No. 6 and 11 for short-term employment growth and employment momentum, respectively. It also ranked No. 58 for the total employment at companies that have been around for five years or less.

The report evaluated 380 metropolitan areas across the country. Each area was scored on indicators of economic vitality including employment growth, average annual pay, real GDP, entrepreneurial activity and educational attainment.

Read the full report at heartlandforward.org/case-study/most-dynamic-metros-2024.