LAS CRUCES, New Mexico
Population: 101,324
Unemployment: 8.2 percent
Population Growth Since 2010: 3.8 percent
When it comes to exports, Las Cruces isn’t so much emerging as exploding (in the good way). The city’s borderline ridiculous 210.9 percent increase in exports led the nation as it shipped $1.3 billion in goods (computer and electronic parts, electrical equipment, fabricated metal, plastic and rubber products) in 2014. The $913 million increase in exports from 2013 helped New Mexico lead the nation in export-related job growth with a 107 percent increase in 2014.