Brookings says Central PA economy is 16th strongest in U.S., housing prices up slightly.

The Harrisburg area has the 16th strongest metro economy in the U.S., according to a report from The Brookings Institution.

The Harrisburg area includes Harrisburg, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Carlisle and other surrounding communities.

The institution ranked the 100 strongest economies in the U.S., comparing employment change, unemployment change, gross metropolitan product and home price change 2008 with 2009.

Government jobs and a slight increase in house prices helped shore up the Harrisburg-area economy. 42 of the 100 largest metro areas experienced increases in inflation-adjusted housing prices, up from 36 during the year ending in the first quarter of 2009. Strong performance persisted in markets that largely sidestepped the housing price “bubble,” such as those in Texas, portions of the Southeast, and the inland Northeast.