Recession-Proof Metropolitan Areas

How recession-proof was your metro area in the last two recessions?

Auburn-Opelika, AL was 78% recession-proof during the recession of 2001 - in other words. In other words, it grew 78% of the time (compared to 12 months earlier) during the recession. However, it was only 23% recession-proof during the recession of 2007 - 2009.

Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA is the only metropolitan area that was 100% recession-proof during both recessions. Many were more than 75%.

Alphabetical listing by State and Metro Area

State Area R2001 R2007 Alabama Statewide 0% 23% Alabama Anniston-Oxford, AL 0% 9% Alabama Auburn-Opelika, AL 78% 23% Alabama Birmingham-Hoover, AL 44% 5% Alabama Decatur, AL 44% 32% Alabama Dothan, AL 0% 0% Alabama Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 0% 5% Alabama Gadsden, AL 0% 45% Alabama Huntsville, AL 89% 50% Alabama Mobile, AL 22% 50% Alabama Montgomery, AL 33% 27% Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 0% 36% Alaska Statewide 100% 77% Alaska Anchorage, AK 100% 77% Alaska Fairbanks, AK 100% 64% Arizona Statewide 78% 9% Arizona Flagstaff, AZ 56% 27% Arizona Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 100% 0% Arizona Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 78% 14% Arizona Prescott, AZ 100% 0% Arizona Tucson, AZ 11% 18% Arizona Yuma, AZ 89% 45% Arkansas Statewide 11% 45% Arkansas Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 100% 23% Arkansas Fort Smith, AR-OK 78% 41% Arkansas Hot Springs, AR 33% 45% Arkansas Jonesboro, AR 0% 95% Arkansas Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 89% 50% Arkansas Pine Bluff, AR 56% 0% California Statewide 67% 9% California Bakersfield, CA 100% 27% California Chico, CA 100% 0% California El Centro, CA 100% 50% California Fresno, CA 100% 0% California Hanford-Corcoran, CA 89% 68% California Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metro 44% 5% California Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 56% 5% California Madera-Chowchilla, CA 100% 27% California Merced, CA 100% 5% California Modesto, CA 100% 0% California Napa, CA 100% 41% California Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metro 67% 9% California Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 100% 0% California Redding, CA 100% 0% California Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 100% 0% California Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA 100% 0% California Salinas, CA 100% 36% California San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 100% 18% California San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 33% 27% California San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metro 22% 41% California San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 33% 41% California San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 100% 14% California Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metro 100% 0% California Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 67% 23% California Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 78% 0% California Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 89% 14% California Stockton, CA 100% 5% California Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 100% 5% California Visalia-Porterville, CA 100% 32% California Yuba City, CA 89% 0% Colorado Statewide 67% 45% Colorado Boulder, CO 56% 55% Colorado Colorado Springs, CO 67% 18% Colorado Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 44% 45% Colorado Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 89% 64% Colorado Grand Junction, CO 100% 77% Colorado Greeley, CO 100% 59% Colorado Pueblo, CO 33% 36% Connecticut Statewide 0% 32% Connecticut Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 11% 23% Connecticut Danbury, CT NECTA 11% 27% Connecticut Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 0% 50% Connecticut New Haven, CT NECTA 22% 27% Connecticut Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 100% 32% Connecticut Waterbury, CT NECTA 0% 0% Delaware Statewide 44% 18% Delaware Dover, DE 22% 18% Delaware Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metro 0% 23% District of Columbia Statewide 89% 86% District of Columbia Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro 89% 55% District of Columbia Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 89% 55% Florida Statewide 89% 0% Florida Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, FL 33% 0% Florida Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 100% 0% Florida Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 100% 0% Florida Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL Metro 100% 0% Florida Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, FL 100% 0% Florida Gainesville, FL 78% 14% Florida Jacksonville, FL 78% 0% Florida Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 100% 0% Florida Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 100% 5% Florida Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metro 78% 14% Florida Naples-Marco Island, FL 100% 0% Florida Ocala, FL 11% 0% Florida Orlando-Kissimmee, FL 67% 18% Florida Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 67% 0% Florida Palm Coast, FL 100% 5% Florida Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL 22% 9% Florida Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 100% 0% Florida Port St. Lucie, FL 100% 0% Florida Punta Gorda, FL 67% 0% Florida Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 100% 5% Florida Tallahassee, FL 22% 14% Florida Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 0% 0% Florida West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metro 100% 0% Georgia Statewide 22% 18% Georgia Albany, GA 0% 18% Georgia Athens-Clarke County, GA 56% 59% Georgia Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 78% 23% Georgia Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 11% 32% Georgia Brunswick, GA 44% 41% Georgia Columbus, GA-AL 0% 32% Georgia Dalton, GA 0% 0% Georgia Gainesville, GA 44% 45% Georgia Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA 67% 73% Georgia Macon, GA 0% 59% Georgia Rome, GA 44% 14% Georgia Savannah, GA 44% 9% Georgia Valdosta, GA 56% 45% Georgia Warner Robins, GA 100% 27% Hawaii Statewide 78% 23% Hawaii Honolulu, HI 44% 23% Idaho Statewide 89% 18% Idaho Boise City-Nampa, ID 89% 0% Idaho Coeur d'Alene, ID 100% 41% Idaho Idaho Falls, ID 100% 27% Idaho Lewiston, ID-WA 33% 82% Idaho Pocatello, ID 67% 0% Illinois Statewide 11% 23% Illinois Bloomington-Normal, IL 100% 77% Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL 89% 86% Illinois Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metro 44% 18% Illinois Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI 33% 18% Illinois Danville, IL 0% 9% Illinois Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 0% 68% Illinois Decatur, IL 0% 32% Illinois Kankakee-Bradley, IL 11% 27% Illinois Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metro 33% 41% Illinois Peoria, IL 0% 64% Illinois Rockford, IL 0% 14% Illinois Springfield, IL 78% 64% Indiana Statewide 0% 14% Indiana Anderson, IN 0% 45% Indiana Bloomington, IN 67% 50% Indiana Columbus, IN 0% 59% Indiana Elkhart-Goshen, IN 0% 5% Indiana Evansville, IN-KY 100% 9% Indiana Fort Wayne, IN 0% 0% Indiana Gary, IN Metro 22% 14% Indiana Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 100% 36% Indiana Kokomo, IN 0% 0% Indiana Lafayette, IN 44% 59% Indiana Michigan City-La Porte, IN 0% 0% Indiana Muncie, IN 44% 5% Indiana South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 0% 5% Indiana Terre Haute, IN 0% 0% Iowa Statewide 0% 50% Iowa Ames, IA 11% 82% Iowa Cedar Rapids, IA 44% 50% Iowa Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 100% 45% Iowa Dubuque, IA 0% 23% Iowa Iowa City, IA 100% 64% Iowa Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 0% 64% Iowa Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 44% 55% Kansas Statewide 78% 55% Kansas Lawrence, KS 100% 18% Kansas Topeka, KS 78% 68% Kansas Wichita, KS 100% 68% Kansas Kansas City, KS 44% 45% Kentucky Statewide 0% 14% Kentucky Bowling Green, KY 11% 32% Kentucky Elizabethtown, KY 56% 27% Kentucky Lexington-Fayette, KY 0% 14% Kentucky Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 0% 27% Kentucky Owensboro, KY 0% 41% Louisiana Statewide 33% 73% Louisiana Alexandria, LA 56% 64% Louisiana Baton Rouge, LA 0% 64% Louisiana Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 100% 77% Louisiana Lafayette, LA 100% 50% Louisiana Lake Charles, LA 22% 45% Louisiana Monroe, LA 100% 32% Louisiana New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 78% 68% Louisiana Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 44% 50% Maine Statewide 89% 32% Maine Bangor, ME NECTA 100% 36% Maine Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA 22% 32% Maine Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA 100% 23% Maryland Statewide 67% 27% Maryland Baltimore-Towson, MD 67% 27% Maryland Bethesda-Frederick-Rockville, MD Metro 44% 18% Maryland Cumberland, MD-WV 33% 77% Maryland Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 100% 14% Maryland Salisbury, MD 89% 18% Maryland Baltimore City, MD 0% 5% Maryland Calvert-Charles-Prince George's, MD 44% 27% Massachusetts Statewide 44% 41% Massachusetts Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 100% 23% Massachusetts Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH NECTA 44% 45% Massachusetts Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 44% 50% Massachusetts Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA  NECTA Division 22% 9% Massachusetts Framingham, MA  NECTA Division 78% 55% Massachusetts Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH  NECTA Division 44% 14% Massachusetts Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA NECTA 0% 0% Massachusetts Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH  NECTA Division 44% 18% Massachusetts New Bedford, MA NECTA 0% 0% Massachusetts Peabody, MA  NECTA Division 89% 32% Massachusetts Pittsfield, MA NECTA 33% 0% Massachusetts Springfield, MA-CT NECTA 78% 18% Massachusetts Worcester, MA-CT NECTA 67% 23% Michigan Statewide 0% 0% Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 100% 0% Michigan Battle Creek, MI 33% 9% Michigan Bay City, MI 0% 5% Michigan Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metro 0% 0% Michigan Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI 0% 0% Michigan Flint, MI 0% 0% Michigan Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 33% 18% Michigan Holland-Grand Haven, MI 0% 0% Michigan Jackson, MI 0% 0% Michigan Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 0% 5% Michigan Lansing-East Lansing, MI 22% 27% Michigan Monroe, MI 44% 0% Michigan Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 0% 0% Michigan Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 0% 36% Michigan Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 0% 0% Michigan Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metro 0% 0% Minnesota Statewide 44% 23% Minnesota Duluth, MN-WI 0% 41% Minnesota Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 44% 5% Minnesota Rochester, MN 100% 18% Minnesota St. Cloud, MN 89% 18% Mississippi Statewide 0% 27% Mississippi Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 89% 32% Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS 100% 23% Mississippi Jackson, MS 100% 27% Mississippi Pascagoula, MS 0% 55% Missouri Statewide 0% 32% Missouri Columbia, MO 78% 55% Missouri Jefferson City, MO 67% 50% Missouri Joplin, MO 0% 64% Missouri Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area 11% 50% Missouri St. Joseph, MO-KS 67% 45% Missouri St. Louis, MO-IL 67% 41% Missouri Springfield, MO 11% 23% Missouri Kansas City, MO 0% 50% Montana Statewide 33% 45% Montana Billings, MT 100% 27% Montana Great Falls, MT 89% 55% Montana Missoula, MT 89% 9% Nebraska Statewide 100% 50% Nebraska Lincoln, NE 100% 45% Nebraska Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 89% 64% Nevada Statewide 89% 9% Nevada Carson City, NV 89% 0% Nevada Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 100% 9% Nevada Reno-Sparks, NV 100% 0% New Hampshire Statewide 67% 32% New Hampshire Manchester, NH NECTA 89% 55% New Hampshire Nashua, NH-MA  NECTA Division 56% 18% New Hampshire Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 89% 32% New Hampshire Rochester-Dover, NH-ME NECTA 67% 55% New Jersey Statewide 44% 23% New Jersey Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 78% 5% New Jersey Camden, NJ Metro 100% 18% New Jersey Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metro 100% 23% New Jersey Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metro 100% 27% New Jersey Ocean City, NJ 89% 27% New Jersey Trenton-Ewing, NJ 100% 41% New Jersey Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 11% 32% New Jersey Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, NJ 56% 27% New Mexico Statewide 100% 45% New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 67% 27% New Mexico Farmington, NM 100% 64% New Mexico Las Cruces, NM 89% 68% New Mexico Santa Fe, NM 89% 32% New York