Best mid-sized cities for jobs

Forbes’ 2011 list of best mid-sized cities for jobs showed a much brighter outlook than 2010. Between 2009 and 2010, only 13 of 397 metropolitan areas experienced any growth at all. For this year’s list, which measured job growth in the period between January 2010 and January 2011, most of the best-performing areas experienced actual employment increases — even if they were modest.

Here are the winners:

1. El Paso, Texas
2. Corpus Christi, Texas
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
5. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.
6. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Ark.
7. Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
8. Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, S.C.
9. Knoxville, Tenn.
10. Provo-Orem, Utah