According to a recent article listed on careerbuilder.com, Binghamton is one of the top ten cities in the United States with the smallest job growth ‘ a ranking that has some city residents doubting the document’s credibility.
The information for the article was based on the annual ‘Best Places for Businesses and Careers’ list, produced by Forbes.com, said Kate Lorenz, a spokeswoman for careerbuilder.com.
Forbes.com lists 200 United States cities in the article. Out of those 200, Binghamton, with an estimated population of 249,000, was given an overall ranking of 149.
Each city’s overall listing is based on a number of accumulated factors ‘ including job growth, educational attainment, cost of doing business, living costs and crime rate. When it came to job growth, Binghamton was listed at 190 out of the 200 cities listed.
Careerbuilder.com’s article ‘ entitled ‘Worst Cities for Job Growth’ ‘ further evaluated each of the ten lowest-ranking cities in terms of job growth, based on population and the average local salary for the most popular jobs.
Along with Binghamton, other cities listed include New Orleans, La.; San Jose, Calif.; Hickory, N.C.; San Francisco, Calif.; Detroit, Mich.; Cambridge, Mass.; Flint, Mich.; Canton, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio.
According to Bill McCarthy of Binghamton University’s Career Development Center, because Binghamton has one of the lowest population counts on this list, the job growth in the city would be lower as well. McCarthy said that job growth might not be ‘as brisk here in Binghamton as it is in other places, but considering the population size, the city is doing great.’
There are so many factors that go into these rankings, he said, and because of that the views on one category can change based on the results of another.
After living in metropolitan and suburban areas such as Washington, D.C. and Long Island, McCarthy said that Binghamton is a great place to live and work, and a nice, manageable community, even in comparison.
Andrew Block, director of Community Relations in the City of Binghamton, also doubted Binghamton’s ranking on this list.
‘Research from the State Labor Department shows economic growth, including dropping unemployment and additional job opportunities, thus calling into doubt the economic rating Forbes.com gave Binghamton,’ Block said
According to Block, Binghamton town officials, including Mayor Matt Ryan, are using new systems to work toward further economic progress for the city.
‘[Ryan is] dedicated to continuing the economy’s upward trend through the policies and programs that make up the Binghamton PACT, his Community and Economic Development Implementation Plan,’ he said.