Colorado Springs Ranked No. 5 Best-Performing City in the U.S. by the Milken Institute
By: Nicole Jomantas
(Colorado Springs, CO) – The Milken Institute has ranked Colorado Springs as the No. 5 Best-Performing City in the U.S. in its 2025 rankings, marking an impressive 10-spot leap from its previous ranking of No. 15 in 2024.
Announced today by the Milken Institute, this recognition highlights Colorado Springs’ balanced economic growth, robust job market, and thriving innovation ecosystem, positioning it as one of the nation’s leading cities for economic performance.
“Colorado Springs’ impressive growth in jobs and wages underscores investor confidence in our region as a destination for business expansion and a hub for innovation,” said Dani Bolling, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Sales for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC. “This ranking reflects Colorado Springs’ ability to offer cutting-edge technologies, a highly-skilled workforce, and a dynamic startup ecosystem. We’re committed to ensuring our city remains a leader among large cities nationwide.”
The annual Milken Institute report evaluates cities based on a variety of metrics, including job creation, wage growth, and high-tech GDP. Colorado Springs earned its top-tier ranking by excelling in nearly every category. Key factors driving the city’s performance include:
- Job Growth: Strong performance from 2018–23, with a 12% increase in jobs.
- High-Tech GDP Growth: A remarkable 57.9% growth from 2018–23, ranking 22nd among large cities.
- Community Resilience: Ranked 5th for the ability to recover from natural disasters or economic disruptions.
- Broadband Connectivity: Ranked 2nd for households with broadband access.
“The Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities ranking confirms what we’ve known for a long time — that Colorado Springs has a high performing, well-rounded, diverse and resilient economy,” Mayor Yemi Mobolade said. “Selected as the top-5 economy across all large cities in our country, we are consistently adding new jobs and are laser focused on continuing to bring new opportunity to our thriving and vibrant city.”
Raleigh, N.C. topped the 2025 Best-Performing City rankings while last year’s No. 1 city, Austin-Round Rock, Texas, finished sixth in this year’s standings.
For more information about the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities and the complete ranking list, click here.