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The Best Places to Start a Business
Florida has nine metro areas that qualified. Bizjournals used a six-part formula to analyze the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, searching for the places that are most conducive to the creation and development of small businesses.
Rank | Metropolitan area | Small-business vitality score | Small businesses (2006) | Small businesses per 1,000 residents (2006) | Change in private-sector employment (2003-08) | Change in population (2002-07) | Population (2007) |
1 | Raleigh | 58.20 | 27,596 | 27.6 | 23.0% | 21.2% | 1,047,629 |
2 | Charlotte | 43.09 | 42,905 | 27.1 | 15.4% | 17.4% | 1,651,568 |
3 | Seattle | 39.40 | 96,040 | 29.4 | 15.1% | 5.9% | 3,309,347 |
4 | Austin | 37.26 | 36,559 | 23.9 | 21.0% | 17.9% | 1,598,161 |
5 | Boise, Idaho | 37.18 | 17,451 | 30.7 | 16.7% | 17.7% | 587,689 |
6 | Salt Lake City | 36.18 | 31,189 | 28.9 | 17.7% | 9.6% | 1,099,973 |
7 | Orlando | 35.33 | 56,459 | 28.3 | 18.2% | 15.6% | 2,032,496 |
8 | Oklahoma City | 28.95 | 31,418 | 26.7 | 10.4% | 6.4% | 1,192,989 |
9 | Denver | 27.03 | 72,867 | 30.2 | 9.2% | 8.1% | 2,464,866 |
10 | Portland, Maine | 23.14 | 17,582 | 34.4 | 3.5% | 2.4% | 513,102 |
11 | Portland, Ore. | 20.77 | 61,244 | 28.7 | 11.7% | 8.0% | 2,175,113 |
12 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale | 20.25 | 174,580 | 32.2 | 9.0% | 4.2% | 5,413,212 |
13 | Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn. | 19.22 | 27,965 | 31.3 | 4.1% | 0.3% | 895,015 |
14 | McAllen-Edinburg, Texas | 18.87 | 9,779 | 14.2 | 26.7% | 16.6% | 710,514 |
15 | Las Vegas | 18.52 | 39,016 | 22.0 | 20.0% | 21.1% | 1,836,333 |
16 | Washington | 17.44 | 137,721 | 26.2 | 8.5% | 5.8% | 5,306,565 |
17 | Houston | 16.65 | 114,262 | 20.8 | 16.7% | 12.8% | 5,628,101 |
18 | Charleston, S.C. | 16.58 | 16,202 | 26.3 | 14.6% | 11.1% | 630,100 |
19 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk | 16.36 | 38,012 | 22.9 | 7.8% | 3.3% | 1,658,754 |
20 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla. | 15.52 | 16,628 | 29.2 | 13.1% | 24.4% | 590,564 |
21 | Dallas-Fort Worth | 15.37 | 133,438 | 22.3 | 13.3% | 12.3% | 6,145,037 |
22 | Des Moines, Iowa | 14.98 | 14,447 | 27.0 | 10.3% | 9.9% | 546,599 |
23 | Colorado Springs | 14.20 | 16,477 | 27.4 | 5.5% | 7.6% | 609,096 |
24 | San Antonio | 13.28 | 38,778 | 20.0 | 14.8% | 11.9% | 1,990,675 |
25 | Jacksonville | 12.25 | 34,302 | 26.8 | 11.1% | 10.9% | 1,300,823 |
26 | Omaha | 11.94 | 21,325 | 26.0 | 5.2% | 6.0% | 829,890 |
27 | Richmond | 10.22 | 31,065 | 26.0 | 8.8% | 7.8% | 1,212,977 |
28 | Greenville, S.C. | 9.66 | 14,912 | 24.8 | 10.3% | 7.2% | 613,828 |
29 | Greensboro | 8.87 | 18,034 | 26.3 | 6.9% | 6.3% | 698,497 |
30 | Little Rock, Ark. | 8.85 | 17,172 | 26.1 | 7.6% | 7.0% | 666,401 |
31 | Atlanta | 8.75 | 130,550 | 25.5 | 8.7% | 15.8% | 5,278,904 |
32 | Madison, Wis. | 8.34 | 15,153 | 27.7 | 7.0% | 6.9% | 555,626 |
33 | Nashville | 8.21 | 36,237 | 24.4 | 10.4% | 11.5% | 1,521,437 |
34 | Indianapolis | 7.31 | 42,137 | 25.2 | 6.4% | 7.4% | 1,695,037 |
35 | New York City | 6.77 | 527,475 | 28.1 | 4.9% | 1.3% | 18,815,988 |
36 | Boston | 6.52 | 122,042 | 27.3 | 4.7% | 0.6% | 4,482,857 |
37 | Ogden, Utah | 6.43 | 11,116 | 22.1 | 15.0% | 12.2% | 518,349 |
38 | New Orleans | 6.31 | 28,061 | 28.3 | -11.5% | -21.4% | 1,030,363 |
39 | Tulsa | 6.16 | 23,851 | 26.7 | 10.0% | 3.5% | 905,755 |
40 | Minneapolis-St. Paul | 5.24 | 90,905 | 28.7 | 4.5% | 5.0% | 3,208,212 |
41 | Baltimore | 5.12 | 65,972 | 24.8 | 7.5% | 2.8% | 2,668,056 |
42 | Hartford | 4.58 | 29,453 | 24.9 | 6.5% | 1.9% | 1,189,113 |
43 | Palm Bay-Melbourne, Fla. | 2.00 | 13,687 | 25.7 | 6.3% | 8.4% | 536,161 |
44 | Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla. | 1.36 | 20,930 | 30.8 | 7.9% | 11.1% | 687,181 |
45 | Baton Rouge, La. | 1.21 | 16,876 | 22.1 | 11.7% | 7.9% | 770,037 |
46 | Phoenix | 1.00 | 87,818 | 21.7 | 16.0% | 19.5% | 4,179,427 |
47 | San Diego | 0.86 | 76,417 | 25.9 | 5.6% | 2.3% | 2,974,859 |
48 | San Francisco-Oakland | 0.66 | 118,049 | 28.4 | 3.0% | 0.9% | 4,203,898 |
49 | Albuquerque | 0.58 | 18,957 | 23.2 | 8.5% | 10.8% | 835,120 |
50 | San Jose | -0.90 | 44,928 | 25.3 | 5.9% | 3.9% | 1,803,643 |
51 | Daytona Beach, Fla. | -1.27 | 12,997 | 26.2 | 6.4% | 9.1% | 500,413 |
52 | Harrisburg, Pa. | -2.22 | 13,138 | 25.0 | 4.8% | 3.0% | 528,892 |
53 | Tampa-St. Petersburg | -2.25 | 71,088 | 26.4 | 8.0% | 9.6% | 2,723,949 |
54 | Knoxville, Tenn. | -3.00 | 16,116 | 24.0 | 7.8% | 7.7% | 681,525 |
55 | Bakersfield, Calif. | -3.53 | 11,976 | 15.5 | 18.1% | 14.5% | 790,710 |
56 | Poughkeepsie, N.Y. | -3.71 | 16,454 | 24.7 | 3.1% | 4.3% | 669,915 |
57 | Birmingham | -3.90 | 26,141 | 23.8 | 5.2% | 4.1% | 1,108,210 |
58 | Columbus | -4.18 | 39,480 | 22.8 | 4.9% | 5.7% | 1,754,337 |
59 | Columbia, S.C. | -4.31 | 16,933 | 24.1 | 9.8% | 7.9% | 716,030 |
60 | Chicago | -4.42 | 234,989 | 24.8 | 3.8% | 2.8% | 9,524,673 |
61 | Albany | -6.25 | 20,564 | 24.2 | 2.7% | 2.4% | 853,358 |
62 | Honolulu | -6.39 | 21,616 | 23.8 | 9.1% | 2.5% | 905,601 |
63 | Philadelphia | -6.82 | 145,341 | 25.0 | 3.5% | 1.7% | 5,827,962 |
64 | Los Angeles | -6.87 | 331,140 | 25.7 | 3.6% | 1.5% | 12,875,587 |
65 | Kansas City | -7.25 | 51,055 | 26.0 | 5.6% | 5.2% | 1,985,429 |
66 | Pittsburgh | -7.60 | 59,633 | 25.2 | 2.3% | -2.3% | 2,355,712 |
67 | Jackson, Miss. | -8.53 | 12,580 | 23.7 | 4.6% | 5.8% | 534,047 |
68 | Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa. | -8.69 | 18,388 | 23.1 | 5.4% | 6.3% | 803,844 |
69 | Louisville | -8.79 | 29,548 | 24.2 | 4.9% | 4.5% | 1,233,735 |
70 | Wichita, Kans. | -9.77 | 14,430 | 24.5 | 8.4% | 3.0% | 596,452 |
71 | El Paso, Texas | -10.62 | 12,554 | 17.3 | 8.5% | 6.4% | 734,669 |
72 | New Haven, Conn. | -12.22 | 20,258 | 24.0 | 4.0% | 1.5% | 845,494 |
73 | Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa. | -12.88 | 13,392 | 24.4 | 3.6% | -0.6% | 549,430 |
74 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | -13.30 | 11,210 | 22.0 | 6.3% | 5.5% | 514,568 |
75 | Syracuse, N.Y. | -13.68 | 15,247 | 23.6 | 2.5% | -0.7% | 645,293 |
76 | St. Louis | -13.93 | 70,200 | 25.1 | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2,803,707 |
77 | Milwaukee | -14.36 | 39,157 | 25.4 | 3.0% | 1.6% | 1,544,398 |
78 | Sacramento | -14.71 | 45,696 | 22.2 | 5.9% | 8.6% | 2,091,120 |
79 | Akron, Ohio | -15.03 | 17,027 | 24.3 | 4.3% | -0.1% | 699,356 |
80 | Grand Rapids | -15.11 | 18,541 | 24.0 | 2.0% | 2.7% | 776,742 |
81 | Lakeland, Fla. | -16.50 | 11,388 | 20.4 | 12.0% | 15.3% | 574,746 |
82 | Cincinnati | -18.68 | 46,880 | 22.1 | 3.2% | 4.1% | 2,133,678 |
83 | Cleveland | -18.78 | 54,463 | 25.9 | -1.0% | -2.1% | 2,096,471 |
84 | Buffalo | -19.26 | 26,470 | 23.4 | 0.6% | -2.6% | 1,128,183 |
85 | Stockton, Calif. | -19.80 | 11,150 | 16.8 | 8.1% | 10.1% | 670,990 |
86 | Youngstown, Ohio | -19.87 | 13,493 | 23.4 | -0.6% | -3.9% | 570,704 |
87 | Augusta, Ga. | -21.18 | 10,525 | 20.1 | 2.4% | 4.3% | 528,519 |
88 | Fresno, Calif. | -22.27 | 15,987 | 18.1 | 8.9% | 8.2% | 899,348 |
89 | Providence | -22.38 | 42,772 | 26.7 | -1.0% | -0.5% | 1,600,856 |
90 | Tucson | -23.70 | 20,568 | 21.7 | 8.6% | 10.2% | 967,089 |
91 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, Calif. | -24.08 | 19,179 | 24.2 | 2.6% | 2.6% | 798,364 |
92 | Memphis | -24.29 | 25,934 | 20.4 | 4.3% | 4.6% | 1,280,533 |
93 | Worcester, Mass. | -25.25 | 18,024 | 23.1 | 1.0% | 1.8% | 781,352 |
94 | Springfield, Mass. | -25.57 | 15,160 | 22.2 | 0.9% | -0.0% | 682,657 |
95 | Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. | -27.07 | 64,678 | 16.2 | 14.3% | 16.9% | 4,081,371 |
96 | Rochester, N.Y. | -27.97 | 22,970 | 22.3 | 0.1% | -0.8% | 1,030,495 |
97 | Dayton | -32.57 | 18,238 | 21.8 | -4.2% | -1.0% | 835,537 |
98 | Modesto, Calif. | -34.41 | 8,923 | 17.6 | 2.5% | 6.9% | 511,263 |
99 | Toledo, Ohio | -38.09 | 15,229 | 23.3 | -2.5% | -1.2% | 650,955 |
100 | Detroit | -49.73 | 102,035 | 22.7 | -7.5% | -0.5% | 4,467,592 |
SOURCE: bizjournals- February 2, 2009 |