Logan was ranked as the 10th best smaller cities, primarily for education and healthcare. Read more about the Milken Institute’s report here:
Logan, UT-ID, rounds out the Top 10 for this edition of BPC
Small Cities index. The metro has a diverse high-tech industry,
and ranks fourth for the number of high-tech location quotients
greater than one. Logan is home to Utah State University,
which provides a stabilizing economic anchor. The school
will expand program offerings with a $1.8 million barn to
increase the capacity of the veterinary medicine program.
The university is looking to maximize its R&D capacity and
has opened an innovation campus to draw in companies.
The school had weak enrollment in 2017, which will put
pressure on economic growth. Educational and health-care
services make up 12 percent of employment and account for
the two largest employers in the metro. The Logan Regional
Hospital is investing $1.2 million in new surgical robots to
expand ability to perform less-invasive procedures.
The metro depends on manufacturing, which represents
18.6 percent of employment. Food processing companies
are the most prominent of manufacturing employers.
There is also a sizeable number of durable goods manufacturers
in the metro. Electric Power Systems is going to open
operations to build batteries for the aerospace industry and
estimates bringing 128 jobs to the metro with an $11.6 million
investment.
GE has plans to double its manufacturing footprint in Logan with its powdered cell cultures used in biopharmaceutical products. Two opportunity zones have
been designated by the IRS in the metro. These two zones
might help offset some of the risks Logan is facing in its beef
and dairy industries due to increased tariffs.
