NOW
7.5–10.0 → Deploy capital within 90 days
No metros qualify for NOW this week.
NEXT
5.5–7.4 → Underwrite now, set trigger
| Rank | Metro | Score | Investment | Key Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W. Lafayette, IN | 7.1 | $3.87B | SK hynix HBM semiconductor packaging — $458M CHIPS + $500M federal loan; 1,000 direct / 7,000 total; under construction; Purdue anchor |
| 2 | Kansas City, MO | 6.0 | $7B+ | Panasonic EV battery $4B (4,000 jobs; OPERATIONAL Jul 2025); Honeywell KCNSC expansion (4,000 jobs; under construction); multi-catalyst stack |
LATER
3.5–5.4 → Monitor quarterly — Top 5 only
| Rank | Metro | Score | Investment | Key Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lehigh Valley, PA | 4.9 | TBD | Eli Lilly manufacturing (announced Jan 2025) — greenfield site, no existing pharma workforce; watch for hiring timeline |
| 2 | Boise, ID | 4.7 | $2B+ | Micron Technology existing fab (5,000+ jobs; expansion cycles); diversified tech stack but catalysts are mature |
| 3 | Nashville, TN | 4.5 | $2.5B+ | HCA HQ anchor; Oracle campus groundbreaking still not started as of Feb 2026; Ford Blue Oval shifted to gas trucks, delayed to 2029 |
| 4 | Wilmington, NC | 4.5 | $500M+ | Thermo Fisher Scientific (2,500 jobs); biotech manufacturing stack forming but catalyst scale is limited |
| 5 | Clayton, NC | 4.3 | $4.1B | Novo Nordisk insulin/obesity manufacturing — construction underway but workers arriving 2027–29; 65% of Johnston County workers currently commute out |
Excluded from Week 1
The following metros appeared in the Week 1 issue and have been removed. In all cases, the primary reason is either catalyst type (not pharma/semi), catalyst timing (too early to produce repricing), or insufficient evidence to support the original placement.
| Metro | Week 1 | Reason for Removal |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | NOW #2 | Intel semiconductor investment has stalled; catalyst no longer qualifies as active. Removed pending status update. |
| Raleigh, NC | NEXT #1 | Novo Nordisk's facility is in Clayton, a separate sub-market 30 miles away. Workers arrive 2027–29. Too early; reclassified to Clayton (LATER #5). |
| Syracuse, NY | NEXT #3 | Micron $100B fab is real — but Fab 1 production is 2030. Repricing opportunity is not yet accessible. Scores 4.2 LATER but falls outside top 5. |
| Louisville, KY | LATER #1 | Ford EV retooling status uncertain; GE Appliances investment is legacy/operational, not repricing-generative. Scores 3.0 (FUNNEL). |
| Oklahoma City, OK | LATER #3 | No qualifying catalyst identified at required threshold. Removed from coverage. |
| Des Moines, IA | Hidden Gem | Data center dominant (Microsoft, Google, Meta). Data centers do not produce workforce-driven housing repricing. Scores 2.3 (FUNNEL). |
| Greenville, SC | Hidden Gem | BMW and Michelin are long-operational. Investment is not new and repricing has already occurred. Scores 2.9 (FUNNEL). |