Universe: 52 U.S. metros with qualifying catalyst activity Scoring: Hero × 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 | $$ | Hero Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.55 ↑ NEW | Columbus, OH | Anduril / Honda / Amazon | $25B+ | Intel semiconductor fab $20B (3,000+ direct; under construction) |
| 7.99 | Sherman, TX | Texas Instruments | $30B | TI fab — workers arriving now into a city of 45,000 with zero existing semiconductor workforce |
| 7.82 | Indianapolis | Eli Lilly | $20B+ | Eli Lilly diabetes/obesity manufacturing $13B+ (2,800+ jobs); IU Health downtown hospital $1.6B opening 2026; multi-catalyst stack |
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NEXT
5.5–7.4 - Underwrite now, set trigger
| Score | Metro | Capital Investor | $$ | Hero Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | West Lafayette, IN | SK hynix | $3.87B | SK hynix HBM semiconductor packaging — $458M CHIPS + $500M loan; 1,000 direct / 7,000 total; under construction |
| 5.95 | Boise, ID | Micron Technology | $2B+ | Micron Technology existing fab (OPERATIONAL; 5,000+ jobs; expansion cycles) |
| 5.7 | Tulsa, OK | EGA / Century Aluminum | $4B | EGA/Century Aluminum $4B aluminum smelter — 1,000 jobs; Inola, Tulsa MSA |
| 5.5 | St. Louis, MO | Boeing | $2B+ | NGA Next $1.7B government campus (operational <18 months) |
| 5.5 | Knoxville, TN | Oak Ridge | $500M+ | Oak Ridge nuclear/advanced manufacturing expansion (ongoing) |
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LATER
3.5–5.4 - Monitor quarterly - Top 5 only
| Score | Metro | Capital Investor | $$ | Hero Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.46 ↑ NEW | Louisville, KY | GE Appliances | $9.8B+ | GE Appliances $6.5B invested since 2016 (Appliance Park, global HQ) |
| 5.46 | San Antonio, TX | Toyota | $531M | Toyota $531M EV battery expansion (operational) |
| 5.33 ↓ | Kansas City, MO | Panasonic | $7B+ | Panasonic EV battery $4B (4,000 jobs; OPERATIONAL Jul 2025); Honeywell KCNSC expansion (4,000 jobs; under construction) |
| 5.12 ↑ | Syracuse, NY | Micron | $100B | Micron Technology semiconductor fab $100B ($6.2B CHIPS + $5.5B NY State); groundbreaking Jan 2026; Fab 1 production 2030 |
| 4.9 | Lehigh Valley, PA | Eli Lilly | TBD | Eli Lilly manufacturing (announced Jan 2025) — greenfield, no existing pharma workforce |
Signals to Watch
▼ Memphis, TN - Dropped from LATER (3.6) to FUNNEL (2.55). The Week 5 critical alert on major employer job cuts has now affected the score. No longer in active consideration.
▲ Columbus, OH — Returns to the board at NOW #1 (8.55), up from Excluded in Week 2. Intel fab construction progress and the Anduril/Honda/Amazon catalyst stack have advanced sufficiently to cross the threshold. The framework excluded Columbus in Week 2 because the opportunity had compressed — this re-entry reflects new catalyst layering, not a reversal.
▲ Louisville, KY — Jumps from FUNNEL (3.0) to LATER (5.46) in a single cycle. GE Appliances' Appliance Park investment thesis has matured enough to warrant active monitoring.
▲ Syracuse, NY — Score advances from 4.2 to 5.12 following continued Micron ecosystem development. Still a 2030 production timeline, but the supplier and workforce infrastructure building around the fab is accelerating.
▼ Kansas City, MO — Slides from NEXT (6.0) to LATER (5.33). Still a strong market; the Panasonic stack is real. Progress scoring reflects the catalyst moving further into its operational arc.
Scoring universe: 52 U.S. metros with qualifying catalyst activity as of Apr 16, 2026 Hero × Progress framework. Not investment advice.