Chicago ranks low in fastest-growing US cities study

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Dozens of other big cities blew past Chicago with high-paced growth, according to a new study of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

Chicago ranked 55th among 66 big cities and 374th out of 515 cities overall according to personal finance website WalletHub. Cicero and Naperville were the only two Illinois municipalities to fare better in the study, with overall ranks of 373 and 347, respectively.

The South, especially Texas, dominated the study. Four Texas cities-Midland, Pearland, McKinney and College Station-ranked in the top 10 overall, and Austin took first place in big city growth. Fort Myers, Florida, was the fastest-growing overall, while Miami was the second fastest-growing large city.

Other large Midwest cities such as Milwaukee and Cleveland also saw slow growth, according to the study. Milwaukee was ranked 61st and Cleveland came in 66th, last among big cities. Omaha, Nebraska, was the highest-ranked big city in the Midwest, taking 27th place.

WalletHub based the study on metrics such as job growth, population growth, building permit activity and business openings. Each city was then given a score on a 100-point scale.

Chicago scored 38.66 out of 100, while Fort Myers received 76.57 points.

You can view the full study here.