Market Profile: Pittsburgh, Pa.

A market with a strong blue-collar history, Pittsburgh today is the poster child for how a market can transform itself. Bolstered by its knowledge-based economy of medical and computer-science industries, Pittsburgh had an easier ride through the recession. There never was a housing bubble, so that market remains relatively stable. At less than 8 percent, unemployment is lower than the national average. Political advertising has already begun to fly thanks to what promises to be a lively election for the governor’s seat, Arlen Specter’s Senate seat, and all the seats in the State legislature.