The bay area economy ranks as worst among its peers in the Southeast based on a regional scorecard released Monday by the Tampa Bay Partnership.
Blame the housing downturn, the partnership said, for the region's fall from fourth to sixth overall compared to Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; Jacksonville; and No. 1-ranked Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
The report card measures six economic driver categories: employment/work force; income/productivity; housing; innovation; education; and the new category of transportation.
"Every category that could fall did fall," said Larry Henson, the Partnership's business intelligence officer.
The bay area plummeted most dramatically — from second to sixth — in the employment category after shedding 27,000 jobs from the first quarter of 2007.
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