How are magazine rankings compiled?
In the best case, rankings are compiled objectively by an outside consultant, and in the worst case, they are compiled subjectively by a few people at the publication. Most rankings that treat “Raleigh-Durham” as a city are not really rankings of cities but of multi-community metro areas, such as the eight-county Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area (CSA). There are some rankings that do measure individual cities, but they should use the true name of a city (e.g., Durham or Raleigh). Some rankings that refer to Raleigh are really measurements of an entire region, which may include Durham, Cary, and/or Chapel Hill.
