Metro ATL #10 nationwide in metro economies

According to a story in today's Atlanta Business Chronicle, Metro Atlanta ranks as the No. 10 metro economy, according to a Brookings Institution survey of American cities.

The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, released Tuesday, identifies the economic assets of the top 100 metropolitan areas as measured by 2005 employment.

The metro area -- defined as Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Marietta -- had a population of 4,972,219 and 2,427,921 jobs with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $99,831 per job, which is 113.7 percent of the U.S. average. The average wage was $44,400 and the employment rate was 71.9 percent.

The report notes metro Atlanta's gross domestic product in 2005 was $242.4 billion, or 2 percent of the United States' total GDP. The study shows 34.3 percent of metro Atlanta adults had a bachelor's degree in 2005, while 11.6 percent had a graduate degree.