Four of the Best Cities to Start a Small Business

There are a bunch of articles online that list the top cities for running your small business. And sure, there are some great cities on the list, but none of these sources seem to agree on a solid list of which cities really are the best.

After doing a crosshatch directory of the results between four different articles (ones from CNBC, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Kiplinger) we found that only four cities were included in each of their lists. So wonder no more as to where to cultivate your small business! Consider one of these four “best of the best” locations to launch your startup:

Austin, TX

Metro population: 2 million

Number of small businesses per 10,000 people: 136

Cost of living for self-employed: 5% below US average Why it’s attractive:

No state, individual, or corporate income taxes

Highly educated workforce

It ranks fifth in the nation for its ability to attract and retain tech talent

It was named the #1 place in America to start a business by CNBC

It was named the “top city for small business vitality” by American City Business Journals

Denver, CO

Metro population: 2.8 million

Number of small businesses per 10,000 people: 172

Cost of living for self-employed: 6% above US average

Why it’s attractive:

The cost of doing business is 1.6% less than the national average

The cost of doing business for software and video game developers is 4.3% below the national average

The cost of doing business for biotech companies is 6.2% below the national average

The average salary is above the national average

The workforce is well-educated

Denver’s Small Business Development Center is well-integrated with the business community, which is particularly useful to startups

Des Moines, IA

Metro population: 611,549

Number of small businesses per 10,000 people: 133

Cost of living for self-employed: 9.9% below US average

Why it’s attractive:

Salt Lake City, UT

Metro population: 1.1 million

Number of small businesses per 10,000 people: 146

Cost of living for self-employed: 5.1% below US average

Why it’s attractive:

Individual and corporate tax rates are only 5%

The cost of doing business is 3.4% below the national average

The workforce is young, with a median age of 30.9 years old (6.3 years younger than the national median), which is helping to boost tech businesses there

Small businesses can utilize the city’s valuable resources including:

Startup Connectory - lists all of Utah’s entrepreneur groups, associations, and networks

Silicon Slopes - empowers Utah’s tech community to learn, connect and serve

University of Utah Technology and Venture Commercialization - helps business owners access the best resources to build value and growth

Once you get your company established in one of these great cities, keep magicJack for BUSINESS in mind. No matter where you land, one of the first things you’ll need is a cost-effective yet reliable phone line for your small business – and we can make it happen. Give us a shout when you’re ready!