Things are looking up for the six-county Augusta area, according to a book that ranks the nation's metropolitan areas from best to worst.

In the latest edition of Cities Ranked & Rated published in April, the area climbed to 104 out of 373 cities - up from 164, where the 2004 edition of the book placed it.

The ranking is good news for Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver, who has made improving the city's image a focus of his administration.

"I think this clearly shows that we are a city on the move. Given the momentum we have built over the past several years, and based on what I see on the horizon, I would hope we would be among the top 50 cities by the next time the book is published," he said.

Cities Ranked & Rated - parts of which live on at Sperling's Best Places' Web site of statistics, reports and lists - orders cities based on evaluations in 10 categories from the local economy to culture.

In many of the categories, Augusta's evaluation didn't change tremendously. However, the book's authors, Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, say the addition of 42 cities to the list likely forced other cities farther down in some cases.

In the latest edition, the Augusta area - which includes Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie, Burke, Aiken and Edgefield counties - made its most significant gains in health care and leisure.

The health care ranking was helped by a decrease in the average patient cost of dentist and doctor visits, which the authors gave more weight in this year's edition.

At $66, both are below the national average of $70 and $77 respectively, according to Cities Ranked & Rated.

The drop could be a result of the number of people on government-sponsored health care in the area, said Dr. Curt Steinhart, the president and CEO of Physicians Practice Group. With payments being reduced or kept the same by the government, the average patient cost for a doctor visit might have declined if more people are using subsidized health care, he said.

Private insurance also has probably played a role.

Augusta's high concentration of physicians - ranked 29th in the book - gives managed health care companies leverage to negotiate down fees they contract with doctors, Dr. Steinhart said.

In leisure, Augusta's rank appears to have been helped by recent growth in shopping and retail facilities, which is expected to grow even more when planned "lifestyle centers" open.

Falling in the rankings were the area's economy, cost of living, transportation, education, crime and arts and culture.

In recent years, Augusta has faced layoffs and buyouts through several plant closings, but economic development officials expect the local economy and job market to improve, said Walter Sprouse, the executive director of the Richmond County Development Authority.

He said the arrival of T-Mobile's call center and other prospects considering Augusta make the area's job growth look very good in the future.

Reach Justin Boron at (706) 823-3215 or justin.boron@augustachronicle.com.