Universe: 107 U.S. metros with qualifying catalyst activity Scoring: Hero x Progress composite (0-10) Tier boundaries: NOW 7.5-10.0 / NEXT 5.5-7.4 / LATER 3.5-5.4 / FUNNEL <3.5
NOW
7.5-10.0 - Deploy capital within 90 days
| Score | Metro | Capital Investor | $$ | Hero Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.74 | Sherman, TX | Texas Instruments | $40B | Texas Instruments fab $40B (Sherman site reframed Jun 2025 from initial $30B 2021 commitment; 4 fabs over multi-decade buildout; part of TI's $60B+ system-wide US plan) |
| 7.22 | Taylor, TX | Samsung Electronics | $17B+ | Samsung $17B semiconductor fab (equipment installation phase, 2nm node) |
NEXT
5.5-7.4 - Underwrite now, set trigger
| Score | Metro | Capital Investor | $$ | Hero Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.99 | Indianapolis, IN | Eli Lilly | $20B+ | Eli Lilly diabetes/obesity mfg $17.5B+ (2,800+ jobs; +$4.5B LEAP add May 2026) |
| 5.95 | Boise, ID | Micron Technology | $2B+ | Micron Technology fab expansion ~$50B (~17K jobs total; ID1 first wafer mid-2027) |
| 5.70 | Tulsa, OK | Century Aluminum/EGA | $10B+ | Century Aluminum/EGA $4B smelter (1,000 jobs; announced 2024-25) |
| 5.64 | West Lafayette, IN | SK hynix | $3.87B | SK hynix HBM packaging $4.83B ($458M CHIPS + $500M loan + project capex) (1,000 direct / 7,000 total; under construction) |
| 5.50 | Knoxville, TN | Oak Ridge | $500M+ | Oak Ridge nuclear/advanced manufacturing expansion (ongoing) |
LATER
3.5-5.4 - Monitor quarterly - Top 5 only
| Score | Metro | Capital Investor | $$ | Hero Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.43 | Lehigh Valley, PA | Eli Lilly | umbrella $27B/4-site (per-site not separately disclosed) | Eli Lilly retatrutide / GLP-1 manufacturing — 4th of Lilly's Feb 2025 $27B / 4-site umbrella, LV site named Jan 30, 2026 at joint Shapiro/Lilly event (per-site investment not separately disclosed; ~925K sq ft across 7 buildings on 150 acres at 9802 Main St, Fogelsville; construction underway May 2026) |
| 5.40 | Columbus, OH | Anduril / Honda / Amazon | $25B+ | Intel semiconductor fab $20B (3,000+ direct; under construction) |
| 5.40 | Palm Bay, FL | L3Harris Technologies | $100M | L3Harris $100M satellite integration facility (operational) |
| 5.33 | Kansas City, MO/KS | Panasonic | $7B+ | Panasonic EV battery $4B (4,000 jobs; OPERATIONAL Jul 2025) |
| 5.12 | Syracuse, NY | Micron | $100B | Micron Technology semiconductor fab $100B ($6.2B CHIPS + $5.5B NY State) (9,000 direct / 50,000 total) |
Signals to Watch
Data refresh — bigger numbers, no movement — Quiet board this week: no tier moves, no score deltas above the 0.30 threshold. But four catalyst descriptions got materially upgraded in the underlying data. Sherman, TX: TI's commitment reframed from $30B to $40B, now described as 4 fabs over a multi-decade buildout (part of TI's $60B+ U.S. system). Boise, ID: Micron's footprint clarified to ~$50B with ~17K jobs total, ID1 first wafer mid-2027. Tulsa, OK: Century Aluminum/EGA smelter scaled from $1.1B to $4B. West Lafayette, IN: SK hynix HBM packaging total raised from $3.87B to $4.83B with project capex included. These are bigger numbers attached to the same scores — the Hero × Progress math reads the same. Worth noting as ground truth on capital scale.
Scoring universe: 107 U.S. metros with qualifying catalyst activity as of Jun 1, 2026 Hero x Progress framework. Not investment advice.