12 Inland Empire Cities Rank As Top US Boomtowns: Report

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — A New York-based company that touts itself as "an online destination for consumer-focused financial information" had something to say recently about the Inland Empire's Menifee: The city is a major boomtown.

On Friday, SmartAsset released its 2022 edition of the "Top Boomtowns in America." Menifee ranked seventh, behind 1. Nampa, Idaho, 2. Meridian, Idaho, 3. Murfreesboro, Tenn., 4. New Braunfels, Texas, 5. Fort Myers, Fla., and 6. Conroe, Texas.

In its top 100 boomtowns of 2022, SmartAsset also named the following Inland Empire cities: Chino at 10th; Victorville tied with Riverview, Fla., for 13th; Perris ranked 27th, Hesperia tied with Lehigh Acres, Fla., for 34th, Ontario came in at 43rd; Jurupa Valley at 45th; San Bernardino at 51st; Indio at 54th; Murrieta at 64th; Rialto tied with Longmont, Colo., for 86th; and Hemet came in at 89th.

According to SmartAsset, the rankings were determined after analyzing data for 494 of the largest cities across topics measuring population growth, income, GDP, businesses, housing and changes in unemployment. (See more here about the methodology used for the rankings.)

Menifee ranked so high mainly due to its population growth, rising incomes and a housing boom in the city, according to SmartAsset.

"The Menifee, California population has increased by roughly 20.21% to nearly 106,400 residents between 2016 and 2021 (ranking 12th-highest). Additionally, workers in this boomtown have experienced an increase of just over 42% in incomes. Housing availability has also boomed, rising by nearly 20% over the same five-year period," SmartAsset reported.

Menifee is a relatively new city — it was incorporated in late 2008.

See the complete SmartAsset 2022 boomtown rankings here. Check out SmartAsset's 2021 rankings here.