RJ and Makay

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The New York City metropolitan area has 720,000 high net-worth individuals (HNWIs), almost three times as many as Los Angeles, which is second in the nation at 256,500 HNWIs, according to professional services firm Capgemini, which recently released its 2011 Metro Wealth Index.  Chicago, Washington D.C. and San Francisco follow with 212,300, 164,400 and 147,400, respectively.  The index monitors populations of HNWIs within the top ten U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). The index helps wealth management firms understand the scale and potential of different markets, identify new growth opportunities, or adjust an existing footprint in specific regions.

Although it lost jobs, New York City's broad financial activities sector has posted its best hiring numbers in nearly a decade, reports the New York State Department of Labor (DOL).

Indeed, revised figures show employment in the sector fell by just 1,600 in January 2011, the best performance for that month since 2002. That's important because Wall Street galvanizes the New York City economy and spurs hiring in unrelated fields. The revised data did not include hiring numbers for the city's financial activities sector in January.