Economy

A New Way to Rank Economic Growth in America's Metros

Individual prosperity and inclusion by race and income matter in a new Brookings report.
A construction worker stands on an outside balcony at Brickell City Centre, a $1.05 billion mixed-use development located in Miami's financial district.AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

It’s often said that cities are engines of economic growth. But no two engines are built alike—and not every engine drives all passengers to the same place.

That’s one way of phrasing why many economists feel that simple metrics of growth, such as gross metropolitan product, jobs, or wages, don’t sufficiently measure growth in machines as complex as cities.