Ellington

Jackson has climbed four notches over last year—to No. 77 out of 366 metropolitan areas—in a study of economic strength by Policom.com.

The metro ranked No. 106 in 2010, its lowest ranking since 2004 (No. 72). The metro's highest economic ranking came in 2006 (No. 60) and 2007 (No. 69).

In the study, Memphis ranks No. 50, Little Rock No. 21, Atlanta No. 22, Shreveport No. 162, Birmingham No. 29 and New Orleans No. 159.

The study also ranks three Mississippi small towns, er, cities in the top 100 "micropolitan" statistical areas in the country, out of 576 total, based on economic strength. Oxford came in No. 33, Columbia No. 36 and Tupelo No. 65 in the ranking.

Micropolitan areas have more than 10,000 residents, but fewer than 50,000. Other Mississippi towns included in the round up are Starkville (182), Corinth (283), West Point (326) and Grenada (488).

In its report (PDF), Policom says it "specializes in studying the dynamics of local economies," especially based on the impact on the "standard of living" of people who live and work in those communities. Click the PDF to read more about the methodology and to see all rankings.