Universe: 52 U.S. metros with qualifying catalyst activity Scoring: Hero × Progress composite (0–10) Tier boundaries: NOW 7.5–10.0 / NEXT 5.5–7.4 / LATER 3.5–5.4 / FUNNEL <3.5
NOW
7.5–10.0 → Deploy capital within 90 days
No change from Week 2.
NEXT
5.5–7.4 → Underwrite now, set trigger
Movement: Three new entries this week. Tulsa earns its place on the strength of a large-scale industrial catalyst arriving in an undersupplied market. St. Louis is notable — Boeing's return of its defense HQ in February 2026 combined with the F-47 contract reactivates a catalyst stack that had gone quiet. Knoxville enters on the Oak Ridge nuclear expansion, which has been building quietly.
LATER
3.5–5.4 → Monitor quarterly — Top 5 only
Movement: Allentown enters as a new entry distinct from Lehigh Valley — the Eli Lilly $1.8B construction is now underway, separating it from the broader regional designation. Huntsville is the week's most significant score revision, up 0.7 points: the confirmed US Space Command HQ relocation (4,700 high-earning DoD/contractor jobs arriving 2025) combined with the Mazda Toyota plant materially strengthens the workforce concentration case.
Scoring universe: 52 U.S. metros with qualifying catalyst activity as of Mar 08, 2026 Hero × Progress framework. Predictions are model outputs, not investment advice. All predictions tracked and published.