Archived Story

Niles the highest-ranked Mich. city on Forbes list again

Published 5:00am Saturday, May 1, 2010
Print Comments

By KATIE JOHNSON
Niles Daily Star

The city of Niles has again made the Forbes’ “Best Small Places for Businesses and Careers” list, capturing the No. 93 spot of 184 and the highest ranking of any city in Michigan.

Released in April, the Forbes report ranked U.S. cities based on cost of labor, energy, taxes and office space.

Niles also made the list in 2009 (No. 124); 2008 (No. 110); 2007 (No. 140); and 2006 (No. 159).

Niles Main Street program manager Lisa Croteau calls the ranking “wonderful,” especially with the condition of the economy.

“It’s wonderful we broke 100,” Croteau said Friday. “It’s bad as it seems to be. It’s not as bad as other places.”

According to Forbes, the median home price in Niles is $113,000. The median household income is $40,439 per year. The Niles metro area population is about 160,000.

Rounding out Forbes’ top five are Sioux Falls, S.D., No. 1; Iowa City, Iowa, No. 2; Manhattan, Kan., No. 3; Bismarck, N.D., No. 4; and Logan, Utah, No. 5.

The only other city in the Niles area to make the list is Michigan City, Ind., ranked No. 117.

Print Comments
  1. May 1, 2010 at 11:11 am <Link>

    wow what a sincerely useless not to mention baseless award. I sincerely hope that people dont move here now particularly if they intend to bring children that require a school to go to.

  2. May 11, 2010 at 8:37 am <Link>

    I think that it’s great that Niles is ranked in Forbes. Just the fact that the city is on the radar is a positive for our community. Supporting the city that you live should come natural. There are troubled businesses, schools, and organizations all over the nation these days. The publicity of this “rank” is a step forward.

Editor's Picks