The Milken Institute recently reported that St. Joseph, Mo., ranks 29th among the country’s best performing small cities in 2012. St. Joseph ranked 51st on the list in 2011. The 2012 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. In most years, these give a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics. See ‘Best Cities’ Press Release here.