Spokane, Coeur d’Alene slip in Forbes ranking

Spokane ranks 29th in the new Forbes magazine list of the 200 Best Cities for Business and Careers, falling from ninth in the 2008 list. Coeur d’Alene slipped from 21st to 33rd in the ranking of small cities. Rankings are determined by cost of doing business, including labor, energy taxes and rent; job growth over three years, and percent of population over age 25 with bachelor degrees, or higher. Spokane ranked 35th in business costs, 62nd in job growth, and 85 in educational attainment. Coeur d’Alene ranked 29th, 24th and 91st in those categories, respectively. Raleigh, N.C., was the top-ranked large city, with Boise at ninth, Seattle at 17th, Olympia at 23rd, and Portland at 26th. Sioux Falls, S.D., was the highest ranked small city. In Washington, Bellingham ranked 35th, Wenatchee 36th. The Forbes Special Report was released Wednesday.