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14h ago

LinkedIn Names Augusta No. 1 on 2026 Cities on the Rise List

The ranking highlights job and talent growth moving into smaller metros driven by cybersecurity with rising data‑center and life‑sciences investment.

AUGUSTA, GA September 9, 2022: Locals sit on the Augusta River front in downtown Augusta, Ga on September 9, 2022. Across the river are homes on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River. (Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • LinkedIn released its second annual Cities on the Rise list on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, ranking 25 U.S. metropolitan areas that have strong hiring, job-posting growth and positive net professional migration.
  • Augusta, Georgia, is the top city for 2026, with LinkedIn pointing to the U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Eisenhower, the Georgia Cyber Center and expanding data-center and health-care roles as the main drivers of its rise.
  • The list excludes any metro with more than 2.5 million LinkedIn members so the focus is on smaller and mid-sized markets rather than the nation’s largest coastal hubs.
  • Richmond (No. 2) earned its spot through data-center and fiber infrastructure investment, Reno (No. 3) through manufacturing and logistics, and the top five also include North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota and Harrisburg.
  • About 60% of cities from the 2025 list returned but the ranking shows swift year-to-year change — Grand Rapids fell from No. 1 in 2025 to No. 25 in 2026 — a pattern that signals shifting local economies and potential housing and workforce pressures in fast-growing metros.