The DIVER
Geo Score results are in for December. The
DIVER Geo Score represents a relative score of the economic
health of a U.S. State, county or city. Based on a scale of 0-10, with
10 being the best, this data is updated monthly and is calculated from
multiple economic and demographic factors related to three primary data
categories—employment, income and housing.
Here are the latest results through December 31, 2013:
GEO SCORE: BY STATE
Highlights: Maryland and Massachusetts Drop Out of the Top 10 and
are Replaced by Minnesota and South Dakota; California and Minnesota are
Most Improved
For December, Maryland, which had a monthly decline of 1.6 for its Geo
Score, fell from the top ten, suffering from declining Wages and an
increase in Poverty. Massachusetts saw a less significant decline of 0.2
but also relinquished its place in the top ten, while Minnesota, with an
increase of 1.4, and South Dakota (+0.8) were added to the top ten.
North Dakota and Washington, D.C. continue with the top Geo Scores
amongst the States while California gets the prize for the most improved
State year-over-year. California’s significant improvement, from 2.0 to
3.8, is attributed to a significant decrease in Unemployment and
Foreclosure Rates and an increase in its Housing Prices. Also noteworthy
is the significant Geo Score increase for Colorado and (+1.4),
Arizona (+1.2) and Montana, Kansas, Utah, West Virginia and Nevada
(+1.0).
|
Best Locations
|
|
Score
|
|
1 Year Biggest Increase
|
|
Score Changes
|
|
North Dakota
|
|
10
|
|
California
|
|
+1.8
|
|
District of Columbia
|
|
9.8
|
|
Minnesota
|
|
+1.4
|
|
Vermont
|
|
9.6
|
|
Colorado
|
|
+1.4
|
|
Wyoming
|
|
9.4
|
|
Arizona
|
|
+1.2
|
|
Minnesota
|
|
9.2
|
|
Montana
|
|
+1.0
|
|
New Hampshire
|
|
9.0
|
|
Kansas
|
|
+1.0
|
|
South Dakota
|
|
8.8
|
|
Utah
|
|
+1.0
|
|
Nebraska
|
|
8.6
|
|
West Virginia
|
|
+1.0
|
|
Virginia
|
|
8.4
|
|
Nevada
|
|
+1.0
|
|
Hawaii
|
|
8.2
|
|
South Dakota
|
|
+0.8
|
Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia come in with the lowest Geo
Scores while Delaware suffered the steepest decline in its score
(-3.2). Delaware’s steep decline was driven primarily by a decline in
wages and an increase in their poverty and foreclosure rates. This was
followed by Maryland (-1.6) and New Mexico and Arkansas (-1.4). States
suffering the most significant declines in their Geo Scores saw a
decline in their Labor Force Participation Rate and Wages.
|
Worst Locations
|
|
Score
|
|
1 Year Biggest Decline
|
|
Score Changes
|
|
Mississippi
|
|
0
|
|
Delaware
|
|
-3.2
|
|
South Carolina
|
|
0.2
|
|
Maryland
|
|
-1.6
|
|
Georgia
|
|
0.4
|
|
New Mexico
|
|
-1.4
|
|
Florida
|
|
0.6
|
|
Arkansas
|
|
-1.4
|
|
Michigan
|
|
0.8
|
|
Connecticut
|
|
-1.2
|
|
Nevada
|
|
1
|
|
Mississippi
|
|
-1
|
|
Kentucky
|
|
1.2
|
|
Kentucky
|
|
-1
|
|
New Mexico
|
|
1.4
|
|
Virginia
|
|
-0.8
|
|
Ohio
|
|
1.6
|
|
Tennessee
|
|
-0.6
|
|
Arkansas
|
|
1.8
|
|
Louisiana
|
|
-0.6
|
GEO SCORE: BY COUNTY
Highlights: New York and Colorado Counties (Two Each) Join
California-Dominated List of Most Improved; Five of the 10 Biggest
Decliners Hail from the Mid-Atlantic States
Nine of the top ten Geo Score counties come from the Roughrider
State of North Dakota. Counties with the most significant increases in
their Geo Score came from New York, Colorado and California,
which all experienced positive trending decreases in Unemployment,
Poverty and Foreclosure rates, as well as positive trending Housing
Price Indices.
|
Best Locations
|
|
Score
|
|
Best Locations
|
|
Score Changes
|
|
Williams, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Cattaraugus, NY
|
|
+5.9
|
|
Slope, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Dolores, CO
|
|
+5.1
|
|
Dunn, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Placer, CA
|
|
+4.3
|
|
McKenzie, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Nevada, CA
|
|
+3.9
|
|
Mountrail, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
El Dorado, CA
|
|
+3.9
|
|
Stark, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Adams, CO
|
|
+3.8
|
|
Divide, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Shasta, CA
|
|
+3.6
|
|
Burke, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Sonoma, CA
|
|
+3.5
|
|
Midland, TX
|
|
10.0
|
|
Napa, CA
|
|
+3.4
|
|
Billings, ND
|
|
10.0
|
|
Jefferson, NY
|
|
+3.3
|
Eight of the top ten counties with the greatest decline experienced a
decrease in wages and seven saw a decrease in their Labor Force
Participation Rate. Five counties in this group also saw a rise in their
Poverty Rate.
|
Worst Locations
|
|
Score
|
|
1 Year Biggest Decline
|
|
Score Changes
|
|
Yuma, AZ
|
|
0.0
|
|
Sabine, TX
|
|
-6.0
|
|
Telfair, GA
|
|
0.0
|
|
Buena Vista, VA
|
|
-5.5
|
|
Hancock, GA
|
|
0.0
|
|
Charles, MD
|
|
-5.1
|
|
Jenkins, GA
|
|
0.0
|
|
Kent, DE
|
|
-4.4
|
|
Flagler, FL
|
|
0.0
|
|
Piute, UT
|
|
-4.0
|
|
Kent, DE
|
|
0.0
|
|
Calvert, MD
|
|
-3.7
|
|
Butts, GA
|
|
0.0
|
|
Louisa, IA
|
|
-3.7
|
|
Apache, AZ
|
|
0.0
|
|
Monroe, PA
|
|
-3.5
|
|
Crowley, CO
|
|
0.0
|
|
Sierra, CA
|
|
-3.2
|
|
Stewart, GA
|
|
0.0
|
|
Sandoval, NM
|
|
-3.1
|
GEO SCORE: BY CITY
Highlights: California Dominates the Top Ten Cities and Nine of
the Ten Biggest Increases
This month’s top ten city Geo Scores saw Midland, TX retake the
number one spot. For the Top Ten Geo Score increases at the city
level, all saw an increase in their Housing Price Index as well as a
decline in Foreclosure Rates, and all saw declines in Unemployment.
California had 15 of the 25 top movers for cities driven primarily by
declining Unemployment, Poverty and Foreclosure Rates and an increase in
Housing Prices.
|
Best Locations
|
|
Score
|
|
1 Year Biggest Increase
|
|
Score Changes
|
|
Midland, TX
|
|
10.0
|
|
Redding, CA
|
|
+3.3
|
|
Odessa, TX
|
|
10.0
|
|
Riverside, CA
|
|
+2.4
|
|
Palo Alto, CA
|
|
10.0
|
|
Temecula, CA
|
|
+2.4
|
|
Mountain View, CA
|
|
9.9
|
|
Roseville, CA
|
|
+2.1
|
|
Alexandria, VA
|
|
9.9
|
|
Ontario, CA
|
|
+2.0
|
|
Sunnyvale, CA
|
|
9.9
|
|
Santa Rosa, CA
|
|
+1.9
|
|
Walnut Creek, CA
|
|
9.8
|
|
Oxnard, CA
|
|
+1.8
|
|
San Mateo, CA
|
|
9.8
|
|
Melbourne, FL
|
|
+1.8
|
|
Newton, MA
|
|
9.8
|
|
Hayward, CA
|
|
+1.7
|
|
Torrance, CA
|
|
9.7
|
|
Vallejo, CA
|
|
+1.7
|
Significant turnover occurred in the Worst ten cities, with the
following new entrants of Rockford, IL, Toledo, OH, Yuma, AZ and Yuba,
CA. For cities with the steepest declines in Geo Scores,
declining Wages and Labor Force Participation played a significant
factor while increased Poverty and Foreclosure Rates plagued six of the
bottom ten.
|
Worst Locations
|
|
Score
|
|
1 Year Biggest Decline
|
|
Score Changes
|
|
Flint, MI
|
|
0.0
|
|
Peoria, IL
|
|
-3.5
|
|
Palm Coast, FL
|
|
0.0
|
|
Bridgeport, CT
|
|
-3.4
|
|
Detroit, MI
|
|
0.0
|
|
Decatur, IL
|
|
-2.9
|
|
Victorville, CA
|
|
0.1
|
|
Joliet, IL
|
|
-2.4
|
|
Youngstown, OH
|
|
0.1
|
|
Warner Robins, GA
|
|
-2.2
|
|
Rockford, IL
|
|
0.1
|
|
Clarksville, TN
|
|
-2.2
|
|
Toledo, OH
|
|
0.2
|
|
Baltimore, MD
|
|
-2.1
|
|
Yuma, AZ
|
|
0.2
|
|
Des Moines, IA
|
|
-2.1
|
|
Camden, NJ
|
|
0.2
|
|
Portsmouth, VA
|
|
-2.0
|
|
Yuba, CA
|
|
0.3
|
|
Little Rock, AR
|
|
-1.9
|
For more information or to see a full list of DIVER Geo Scores
for the current month, please visit our website at www.lumesis.com/our-solutions/diver-geo-score.
About Lumesis
Lumesis is a cloud-based financial technology company dedicated to
delivering simple-to-use powerful technology for the Municipal
Marketplace. Lumesis has three products in its DIVER
solution offering—DIVER Advisor, DIVER Analytics, and DIVER
Data Services—which offer software solutions and comprehensive
data on more than 54,000 municipal issuers. DIVER Advisor is a
comprehensive compliance and information delivery platform serving
Financial Advisor networks, helping them address the Time of Trade
Disclosure (MSRB Rule G-47) obligations. DIVER Analytics is a
suite of powerful analytical and visualization tools serving Credit
Analysts and Portfolio Managers. DIVER Data Services
matches user data and information needs with comprehensive data,
analytical and delivery expertise. To learn more about Lumesis, please
visit www.lumesis.com
or contact us at inquiries@lumesis.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2014