TUCSON, Arizona
Population: 527,972
Unemployment: 6.2 percent
Major Employer: Raytheon Missile Systems (11,000-plus)
As Arizona works to recover from the recession, it seems Tucson may be the city that leads the way. The advanced technology industry leads the way, with such heavyweights as Raytheon Missile Systems, Texas Instruments, IBM and Honeywell Aerospace all having a significant presence in the city, and exports have grown especially in areas such as fabricated metal, computer and electronics. Not surprisingly, job growth has been predicted to keep growing and expanding over the next several years.