Best Large Cities to Start a Business

John S Kiernan, Managing EditorApr 25, 2022

John S Kiernan, Managing Editor
Apr 25, 2022

Americans are born with an entrepreneurial streak. It’s in our DNA. From the Gold Rush to the Industrial Revolution to the Internet Age, intense periods of innovation have molded our economy and sparked important societal advancements. That said, the past few years have been one of the toughest times ever for business owners in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conditions in the U.S. are improving now that the country has mostly reopened and many people have gotten vaccinated, but many business owners are having trouble finding new employees.

In order to help aspiring entrepreneurs — from restaurant owners to high-tech movers and shakers — maximize their chances for long-term prosperity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the relative startup opportunities that exist in 100 U.S. cities. We did so using 20 key metrics, ranging from the five-year business-survival rate to the percentage of residents who are vaccinated to office-space affordability.

For a breakdown of smaller markets, check out WalletHub’s Best Small Cities to Start a Business ranking.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best Places to Start a Business

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Business Environment	Access to Resources	Business Costs
1	Orlando, FL	62.76	5	20	22
2	Miami, FL	61.90	1	52	36
3	Laredo, TX	61.01	10	8	45
4	Durham, NC	60.59	32	6	19
5	Boise, ID	60.15	2	53	46
6	Denver, CO	59.05	7	18	54
7	Jacksonville, FL	58.87	16	62	11
8	Raleigh, NC	58.15	40	7	30
9	Colorado Springs, CO	58.08	27	25	24
10	Tampa, FL	57.73	17	44	20
11	Austin, TX	56.55	4	16	81
12	Aurora, CO	56.31	8	82	32
13	Charlotte, NC	56.30	21	49	28
14	Nashville, TN	56.00	19	31	51
15	Fort Worth, TX	55.94	15	14	69
16	Hialeah, FL	55.90	6	100	17
17	St. Petersburg, FL	55.71	25	68	18
18	Reno, NV	55.38	35	22	49
19	Madison, WI	55.13	54	4	56
20	Dallas, TX	54.02	20	32	65
21	Atlanta, GA	53.73	41	43	34
22	Winston-Salem, NC	53.12	63	69	1
23	Oklahoma City, OK	53.03	60	41	10
24	Arlington, TX	53.01	29	30	68
25	Lincoln, NE	52.12	73	10	35
26	Columbus, OH	52.09	56	26	41
27	Boston, MA	52.02	51	3	82
28	El Paso, TX	51.93	38	91	43
29	Omaha, NE	51.78	58	24	44
30	Tulsa, OK	51.64	74	64	4
30	Irving, TX	51.64	33	27	75
32	Scottsdale, AZ	51.54	18	56	77
33	Irvine, CA	51.31	12	1	97
34	Louisville, KY	51.29	70	46	21
35	Houston, TX	51.19	42	59	60
36	Lubbock, TX	50.97	82	5	52
37	Oakland, CA	50.74	9	15	94
38	Phoenix, AZ	50.74	46	72	47
39	Portland, OR	50.31	14	38	84
40	Kansas City, MO	50.24	79	47	9
41	Tucson, AZ	50.22	72	55	27
42	Stockton, CA	50.00	66	11	64
43	San Bernardino, CA	49.86	50	73	55
44	Sacramento, CA	49.85	37	54	78
45	San Antonio, TX	49.66	48	66	62
46	New Orleans, LA	49.49	69	36	40
47	Albuquerque, NM	49.33	75	75	12
48	Indianapolis, IN	49.32	76	78	8
49	Mesa, AZ	49.28	45	93	38
50	Fort Wayne, IN	49.22	89	45	5
51	Fresno, CA	49.06	65	29	58
52	San Francisco, CA	48.89	3	12	100
53	Minneapolis, MN	48.84	64	23	66
54	Honolulu, HI	48.71	84	2	74
55	Norfolk, VA	48.63	61	90	23
56	Las Vegas, NV	48.55	62	70	39
57	Los Angeles, CA	48.49	24	34	88
58	Long Beach, CA	48.47	30	42	85
59	Gilbert, AZ	48.44	23	86	76
60	Greensboro, NC	48.31	93	61	3
61	Garland, TX	48.30	36	87	71
62	Chandler, AZ	48.28	28	96	70
63	Glendale, AZ	47.97	47	98	37
64	Lexington-Fayette, KY	47.90	85	19	31
65	Chicago, IL	47.89	59	17	79
66	Plano, TX	47.70	31	37	89
67	North Las Vegas, NV	47.62	53	95	42
68	Henderson, NV	47.60	49	92	59
69	Riverside, CA	47.52	52	40	80
70	San Diego, CA	47.31	26	33	93
71	St. Paul, MN	47.17	71	58	61
72	Milwaukee, WI	47.15	90	39	26
73	San Jose, CA	47.07	11	13	98
74	Seattle, WA	46.88	44	9	95
75	Birmingham, AL	46.84	92	71	6
76	Wichita, KS	46.84	98	21	14
77	Cincinnati, OH	46.03	87	67	33
78	Buffalo, NY	45.71	88	81	13
79	Baton Rouge, LA	45.66	96	35	29
80	Memphis, TN	45.41	91	80	15
81	Santa Ana, CA	45.36	22	94	86
82	Newark, NJ	45.30	68	65	72
83	Virginia Beach, VA	45.28	77	79	48
84	Jersey City, NJ	44.93	43	50	91
85	St. Louis, MO	44.73	100	60	2
86	Philadelphia, PA	44.54	81	57	67
87	Anchorage, AK	43.93	57	74	83
88	New York, NY	43.92	55	48	90
89	Toledo, OH	43.76	97	76	16
90	Anaheim, CA	43.65	39	89	87
91	Chula Vista, CA	43.65	34	83	92
92	Baltimore, MD	43.47	83	84	53
93	Bakersfield, CA	43.21	78	77	73
94	Cleveland, OH	43.13	95	85	25
95	Fremont, CA	43.02	13	51	99
96	Pittsburgh, PA	42.60	94	63	63
97	Detroit, MI	42.50	99	88	7
98	Chesapeake, VA	42.17	80	99	50
99	Corpus Christi, TX	40.94	86	97	57
100	Washington, DC	40.75	67	28	96

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

artwork 2022 best large cities to start a business

Ask the Experts

As current self-employment figures have shown, an increasing number of Americans aim to become their own boss. To assist them in that goal, WalletHub asked a panel of entrepreneurship experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips would you offer an aspiring entrepreneur?
Which are some of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make?
Besides technology, what other sector is ripe for disruption by entrepreneurs? What is the next big thing?
In the context of the ongoing pandemic, what are the advantages and disadvantages of starting a business in a big city?
What is the best source of funding for new companies?
What is the most effective way state and local authorities can stimulate entrepreneurship and new business development?

Ask the Experts

Jeff Pollack
Ph.D. – Professor, University Faculty Scholar, Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Department, Poole College of Management – North Carolina State University
Read More

Tim Michaelis
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship – Northern Illinois University College of Business
Read More

Emma Fleck
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship; Department Head of Management and Marketing – Susquehanna University
Read More

Ben Compaine
Part-Time Lecturer, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, D'Amore-McKim School of Business – Northeastern University
Read More

Susan Luck
Professor of Business Administration – Pfeiffer University
Read More

Joe Cooke
Former Business Professor – Santa Fe Community College; Full Time Author and Freelance Writer
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best cities for launching a business, WalletHub compared 100 cities, across three key dimensions: 1) Business Environment, 2) Access to Resources and 3) Business Costs. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area.

We evaluated the three dimensions using 20 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for startups. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at only the state level.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Business Environment – Total Points: 50

Length of Average Work Week (in Hours): Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Average Growth in Number of Small Businesses: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Startups per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Average Growth of Business Revenues: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Five-Year Business-Survival Rate*: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Industry Variety: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Entrepreneurship Index*: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Job Growth (2020 vs. 2016): Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)

Access to Resources – Total Points: 25

Financing Accessibility: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Total Annual Value of Small-Business Loans / Total Number of Small Businesses.
Venture Investment (amount) per Capita: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Prevalence of Investors: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Human-Capital Availability: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Number of Job Openings per Number of Civilians in Labor Force minus Unemployment Rate.
Higher-Education Assets: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “2022 College & University Rankings” ranking of America’s top 1,015 universities.
Share of College-Educated Population: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric measures the percentage of the population aged 25 and older holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
Working-Age Population Growth: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: “Working-Age Population” includes individuals aged 16 to 64.

Business Costs – Total Points: 25

Office-Space Affordability: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Note: This metric measures the per-square-foot rental cost of commercial office space.
Labor Costs: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
Note: This metric measures the median annual income.
Corporate Taxes*: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Cost of Living: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, National Venture Capital Association, Yelp, Indeed.com, Tax Foundation, Council for Community and Economic Research, LoopNet, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WalletHub research.

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