Syracuse keeps jobs in the city

Most cities in the country have seen jobs move from metropolitan areas to the suburbs, but not Syracuse.

A study by The Brookings Institute analyzing 98 cities since 1998 found that Syracuse is one of only three cities that have not seen a decrease in metro area jobs.

The institution calls this loss of metro area jobs “job sprawl” and claims the problem threatens a vital part of the nation’s economic prosperity. The Brookings Institute calls keeping jobs in metro areas essential to the economic recovery process.

Syracuse has 37.7 percent of its jobs within three miles of the city center, higher than the national average of 21 percent. Syracuse also has only 21.9 percent of its jobs more than 10 miles from the city center. The national average is 45 percent.

A potential reason for the lack of “job sprawl” in Syracuse may be the loss of manufacturing jobs the city felt during the last decade. Manufacturing jobs are typically located in suburban areas and this job loss contributed to the centralization of jobs in Syracuse.

Much of the growth in the city can be credited to University Hill, home to Syracuse University and 3 hospitals, according to a report published in the Post Standard. The Hill has seen substantial growth in the last ten years and is a major reason for keeping jobs in the city.

Roger Evans, a analyst for the Department of Labor, called Syracuse "pretty compact" according to an article in the Post Standard. Evans also said "Syracuse was heading in the right direction" and "the city was in good condition economically".