STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 6, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - DIVER Geo Score results for July have been released. 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.
Geo Score by State
While there were a few shifts in relative rankings, the set of states in the Top 10 and Bottom 10 State Geo Score rankings was unchanged.
The Bottom 10 list contains seven states in the Southeast: South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Arkansas. The states in this region share weaknesses across several measures of economic health: low wages, high unemployment and high poverty levels.
Nevada (weak housing, high unemployment), New Mexico (high poverty levels), and Michigan (weak housing and labor markets) round out the list.
CLICK HERE to see Bottom Ranked July'14
The Top 10 list is more diverse. Five of the Top 10 are "fracking states", (North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Minnesota). These "fracking states" have benefited either directly or indirectly from the energy boom in the northern Midwest US.
Another three of the Top 10 are New England states (Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire).
Virginia and the District of Columbia, states with ties to government and military spending, are also in the top ten (Maryland is #22). While the District of Columbia's Geo Score remains solid, both Virginia and Maryland have shown continuing weakness since their early 2012 Geo Score peaks.
CLICK HERE to see Top Ranked July'14
Geo Score by County
As with the Top 10 State Ranking, the Top 10 County Geo Score ranking has a large share of municipalities benefiting from the oil boom. Seven of the top rated counties are in North Dakota. San Mateo, California is the sole non-energy county in the Top 10.
CLICK HERE to see Top/Bottom Ranked July'14
One of the most improved counties by Geo Score over the last year is Palm Beach County, Florida. Its Geo Score has improved by 3.9 ranking points over the last year. As the chart below shows, Palm Beach's improvement dwarfs the performance of the other large Florida counties. Also notable is the wide dispersion of economic performance within Florida. Leon County (home to Tallahassee) and Volusia County (home to Daytona Beach) have significantly underperformed the rest of the state.
Geo Score by City
This month top city Geo Scores list continues to be dominated by Silicon Valley (7 out of 10). Consistent with the strong improvement in Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton top the list of cities with most positive change in Geo Score. Jacksonville and Port St. Lucie are also among the most improved.
CLICK HERE to see Top Ranked July'14
Rust Belt cities in Michigan and Ohio account for 6 of the 10 cities with the lowest Geo Scores.
CLICK HERE to see Bottom Ranked July'14
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About Lumesis, Inc.
Lumesis is dedicated to delivering simple-to-use, powerful technology for the Municipal Marketplace. Lumesis has three products that comprise its DIVER Solution--DIVER Advisor, DIVER Analytics, and DIVER Data Services. DIVER Advisor is a comprehensive compliance and information delivery platform serving Financial Advisor networks, helping them address the Time of Trade Disclosure (new MSRB Rule G-47 and amended Rule G-19). DIVER Analytics is a suite of powerful dashboards and 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.
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