Job growth, wages and the tech sector in Raleigh were cited as reasons in the report by the Milken Institute. A new report from Milken names Raleigh the nation’s best-performing large metropolitan area.

The large metro area includes areas with populations larger than 275,000, and only three of the top 10 metro areas included populations that exceeds 1 million. Raleigh is one of those metro areas.

Raleigh, NC is the best-performing large metropolitan area, according to the 2025 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities (BPC) report, taking the top spot in the rankings following two consecutive years of ranking among the top-three large cities.

The Charlotte region’s economic growth fell when compared to other large U.S. metro areas, while Raleigh’s was the best in the country, according to a new study from a nonprof