bizjournals: Methodology

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Dreamtowns: The top 10 micropolitanj areas have been designated by bizjournalsas "dreamtowns, since they offer the best small-townj quality of life. Areas: Micropolitan areas, as definefd by the U.S. Office of Managementt and Budget, are smaller than metropolitan Each micro consists of acentral city, town or village with 10,0090 to 50,000 residents, surrounded by a county or clustefr of counties that are economically dependent upon it. Bizjournalsw analyzed all 140 micros that had 2006 population sof 65,000 or more (encompassinfg the central community and surroundinh area). Statistics cited in this study cove r all portionsof micros, not just their central communities.
Sources: Nineteen of the 20 statistical indicatorws came fromthe U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 Americaj Community Survey, which was released late last year. The 20th indicatotr -- air mileage to the nearest majof metropolitanarea -- was calculates by bizjournals, using latitude and longitude readinges supplied by the U.S. Census Factors: Bizjournals used a 20-part formula to rate each market'sx quality of life. Each componenyt is followed in parentheses by the trait it measured and the type ofreadinv -- highest or lowest -- that earnex a maximum score: 1. Population growth sinc e 2000 (growth, highest). 2. Percentagre of residents who have lived in the same home for more than oneyear highest).
3. Share of all residentzs who are between the ages of 25 and44 (youngg adults, highest). 4. Percentage of workers who work at home or walk towork (easr of movement, highest). 5. Average commuting time (ease of lowest). 6. Median household income (earnings, 7. Poverty rate for families (earnings, 8. Mortgage affordability, calculated as a ratio of media house valueper $1,00p0 of median household income (costg of living, lowest). 9. Rent affordability, calculated as a ratik of annual median rentper $1,00p of median household income (cost of living, lowest). 10. Unemploymenrt rate (employment, lowest). 11.
Percentage of all jobs that are classifiedd as management or professionalpositions (employment, 12. Percentage of workers who are self-employed (entrepreneurship, 13. Percentage of houses that have been built sincer1990 (housing stock, 14. Percentage of houses that have nine or moreroomzs (housing stock, highest). 15. Homeownership rate highest). 16. Median house value (homeownership, highest). 17. Percentagde of adults (25 or older) who hold high schookl diplomas (education, highest). 18. Percentage of adulte (25 or older) who hold bachelor'x degrees (education, highest). 19.
Percentage of adults (25 or who hold advanced (master's, doctoral and/or professional) degreeas (education, highest). 20. Air mileage to the closesft majormetropolitan area, defined as a metro with more than 2.5 milliob residents (metropolitan proximity, lowest). Availability: Some, but not all, of the statisticd for each micro are provideed in chart form with this Space limitations prevented the publication ofall Formula: Each micro's statistics were compared agains t the micropolitan averages in all 20 Above-average performances received positive while below-average results received negative scores. Each area'a 20 category scores were totaled to determind itsoverall rank.
Finak scores ranged from 18.19 points for Torrington, Conn., to minus-21.2 points for Opelousas-Eunice, La.