South By North Strategies, Ltd.

The newest version of the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor suggests that a fragile economic recovery is underway in most the nation’s 100 largest metro areas.

The Metro Monitor tracks three of North Carolina’s metro areas: Charlotte; Greensboro-High Point; and Raleigh-Cary. By most measures, the economy of the Raleigh-Cary has outperformed those in Charlotte and Greensboro. Since early 2008, Raleigh’s gross metropolitan product has declined by just 0.4 percent compared to a 7 percent decline in Charlotte and a 7.3 percent drop in Greensboro. In the same vein, the Raleigh area has recorded fewer job losses and a smaller change in its unemployment rate compared to the other two.

Click here to view detailed profiles for all 100 major metro areas.