Metro Population: 542,700
Projected Annual Job Growth Through 2014: 2.5%
Brigham Young University provides a stabilizing presence to the $16 billion Provo economy. It is the third-largest private college by enrollment in the U.S. BYU is also generating new jobs. During 2010 it ranked third in the number of startups produced through university research?13 in total?behind only nearby University of Utah (18) and MIT (17).