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The Best Places to Start a Business

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