Which German cities score in terms of dynamism, economic power and sustainability? A study by the Institute for German Economics analyzes a wide variety of data. Some results might surprise you.
According to a study, Mainz is the most dynamic German city. Munich is further ahead in terms of economic power, but is losing pace, as can be seen from the city ranking by IW Consult on behalf of the Internet portal Immoscout24 and the "Wirtschaftswoche".
In Mainz, the success of the corona vaccine manufacturer Biontech plays a decisive role, because the company pays significantly more trade taxes, explained Hanno Kempermann from IW Consult. "Mainz jumps from 48th place to 1st place thanks to the significantly increased municipal tax base." The Rhineland-Palatinate state capital has recognized the unique opportunity and is planning numerous measures in the areas of climate protection and mobility, sport and leisure as well as youth and culture.
As newcomers, Halle (Saale), Leverkusen, Oldenburg and Darmstadt also made it into the top 10 of the dynamic ranking for the first time. They displaced Heilbronn, Lübeck, Kiel, Munich and Potsdam. The Bavarian state capital slipped to 30th place. According to the study, Munich lost places in the real estate market and job market in particular. For example, high inflation and rising interest rates dampened the expensive real estate market in the city particularly significantly. The dynamic ranking analyzes the development of various indicators from the economy, labor market, quality of life and real estate market over a period of five years.
Munich is still at the top in the so-called level ranking. This compares the actual values of selected indicators, such as the current job supply or per capita growth. As in the previous year, Erlangen follows in second place. The city was the only major city in Germany to make it into the top 5 in terms of quality, dynamics and sustainability.
Stuttgart, Ingolstadt and Frankfurt are again among the top 5 in terms of economic power. Mainz made up nine places and made it into the top 10 in the level ranking. "Experience shows that the cities that do well in the dynamic ranking also rise in the level ranking with a slight time lag," explained Gesa Crockford, Managing Director of Immoscout24. The metropolises of Cologne and Berlin continue to slip in terms of level ranking. Cologne comes in 30th place (previous year: 27) and Berlin in 42nd place (previous year: 41). Among other things, the high level of sick leave in the public sector in both cities is striking.
The study confirms that the Ruhr region has some promising development prospects. The digital and ecological transformation would result in new opportunities for structural change. However, Oberhausen, Herne, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen still bring up the rear in the level ranking. The Volkswagen-dominated Autostadt Wolfsburg defended its top position in the sustainability index, which includes economic, ecological and social factors. 71 urban districts with more than 100,000 inhabitants were compared. Kaiserslautern, which is now just below this threshold, was counted among the major cities because of the comparability and continuity with the previous year.
