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The Sacramento Region moved up to ninth place among its main competitors on the BUSINESS component of the Prosperity Index for the first quarter of 2008. This marks a notable improvement for the Region which was at the bottom of the list for this measure in the fourth quarter of 2007. The Region received a score of 4 out of a possible 10, up from 2.5 in the last quarter. Although the Region remains below the national average, it ranked above two of the other measured California regions, San Diego and the Inland Empire. These other two California regions dropped in this update, demonstrating the effects the economic downturn is having on business climate indicators.
Austin displaced Salt Lake City at the top of the list, the leader since the second quarter of 2007. A bulk of the competitive regions ranked above the national average (including the Bay Area and Los Angeles), further illustrating the strength of these markets in the western United States. The Sacramento Region received a decent score on only one indicator, Payroll Growth, while the other measures posted somewhat low scores. Five of the six indicators improved since the last quarter in the Sacramento Region (with Payroll Growth showing the largest jump), increasing from notably weak scores in many cases. Only Establishment Growth dropped this quarter. Despite recent improvements, overall, the Sacramento Region presents a somewhat low competitive position in terms of business climate.
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