LOGAN — Logan has climbed sharply in the Milken Institute’s 2026 Best-Performing Cities rankings, landing eighth nationally among Tier 1 small cities after one of the largest year-over-year gains in the country.
The Logan metro area — which includes Cache Valley in Northern Utah and portions of southeastern Idaho — jumped 40 spots from its 2025 position, according to the Milken Institute’s annual economic index, which evaluates job growth, wage growth, high-tech output and measures tied to quality of life and economic opportunity.
Milken researchers credited Logan’s rebound to improvements in its labor market and continued strength in quality-of-life indicators. Logan ranked first among small cities in community resilience, fifth in broadband access, and sixth in income equality, helping propel it back into the top 10 after a brief dip last year.
A major anchor of the regional economy remains Utah State University, Logan’s largest employer. The university accounts for roughly 15 percent of the metro workforce, providing a steady pipeline of skilled labor and supporting growth in professional, business and public-sector jobs, the report found.
While Logan posted solid long-term gains in jobs and wages, the Milken Institute also pointed to housing affordability as a growing challenge in Cache Valley. About 29 percent of households spend more than one-third of their income on housing and utilities, and the metro slipped to 135th nationally on that metric.
Still, Logan’s performance placed it among several high-ranking cities in Utah and Idaho, underscoring the Intermountain West’s continued economic momentum.
Southern Utah’s St. George claimed the No. 1 spot nationally among Tier 1 small cities, buoyed by strong job growth and expansion across multiple sectors. Idaho Falls ranked second, supported by high-tech research tied to Idaho National Laboratory, while Pocatello surged to fifth after a major year-over-year climb. Coeur d’Alene placed seventh, just ahead of Logan.
The Milken Institute noted that, nationwide, metro areas continue to drive U.S. economic growth, even as rising housing costs and a cooling labor market create uneven conditions across regions. Logan’s return to the top tier, researchers said, reflects a balance of economic recovery, institutional stability and community resilience in Northern Utah.