Lightcast Releases 2026 Talent Attraction Scorecard

MOSCOW, Idaho, Oct. 26 —For the second straight year, Florida, Texas, and Idaho take the top three spots in the Lightcast Talent Attraction Scorecard. Austin, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Raleigh, NC are the top three large metro areas.

The annual Talent Attraction Scorecard evaluates states and metropolitan areas across seven equally weighted components: overall job growth, growth in college-level jobs, growth in blue-collar jobs, growth in high-earning jobs, regional competitiveness, attraction of earners, and attraction of prime-age talent ages 25–54. It combines Lightcast data with government statistics, including Census information analyzed and refined by Lightcast.

This year, Arizona moved up to No. 4 among states, from No. 7 last year, while Phoenix rose to No. 4 among large metros. Miami dropped from No. 2 to No. 18, while Jacksonville, Orlando, and other Florida metros improved their rankings. Charlottesville entered the top 10 among mid-sized metros at No. 9, and neighboring Staunton–Stuarts Draft ranked No. 20.

The full rankings and 2026 report are available at https://lightcast.io/resources/research/talent-attraction-scorecard-26.

Top 5 States for Talent Attraction

1. Florida

2. Texas

3. Idaho

4. Arizona

5. Nevada

Top 5 Large MSAs (250,000+ population)

1. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

2. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

3. Raleigh-Cary, NC

4. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

5. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

Top 5 Mid-Sized MSAs (100,000–250,000 people)

1. Wildwood-The Villages, FL

2. Punta Gorda, FL

3. Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL

4. St. George, UT

5. Anderson Creek, NC

Top 5 Small MSAs (50,000–100,000 people)

1. Jefferson, GA

2. Cedar City, UT

3. Heber, UT

4. Fort Leonard Wood, MO

5. Edwards, CO

Top 5 Very Small MSAs

1. Los Alamos, NM

2. Vernal, UT

3. Jackson, WY-ID

4. Breckenridge, CO

5. Fallon, WV

“Since 2015, the Talent Attraction Scorecard has been the highlight of our year at Lightcast,” said Josh Wright, EVP of Strategy and Growth at Lightcast. “These rankings reflect the hard work and successful planning local leaders have accomplished to bring prosperity to their communities.”

“As disruptions including AI, demographics, and other challenges continue to reshape the talent landscape, the public sector will need more and more precise data about how their region compares to others. The states and metros on this list are the examples they should be following,” Wright added. 

The Talent Attraction Scorecard paints a clear picture: the states and regions that consistently perform well in our rankings form long-term strategies, pursue new business ventures, enjoy geographic advantages, and focus on retaining talent through improved safety, community investment, and quality of life. And they start with a foundation of data and research.