The 2016 State of the Cities report, released Thursday, represents mayors from across the country, including large cities like Los Angeles and Austin as well as midsize and smaller cities such as Eugene, Oregon, and Duluth, Minnesota. ... The findings showed that economic development was the top topic for mayors for the third year running, with 75 percent of mayors devoting “significant coverage” to the theme in their speeches. The conversation around economic development largely focused on jobs, arts and culture, business growth and downtown development. Budgets were also focused on by over half of mayors.

Public safety also received significant coverage in 70 percent of speeches, with specific attention paid to police departments and community policing. A quarter of mayors mentioned body cameras specifically. ... More mayors talked about housing issues than ever before, largely driven by discussions of affordable housing. Demographics also received double the attention of last year, with many mayors attempting to address racial inequities in their communities.