Best 25 U.S. Cities For New Businesses In 2022

With remote working becoming permanent for many businesses, a lot of people are looking at a map of the U.S. and making new choices about where they want to live. But what about entrepreneurs? Could there be a reason to make a move in 2022 if you’re hoping to start your own small business? To find out, we looked at available data from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other sources to determine the best cities to start a new business.

We chose cities where both the economy of the city itself was friendly to businesses, and where tax codes for businesses were friendly, too. We also wanted cities where there was an entrepreneurial culture, with a high number of new business applications, a high percentage of self-employed people, and a high survival rate for businesses. We also looked at workforce size, education of workforce, average workweek length, and unemployment rate.

The top 25 cities for starting a business in 2022

1. Scottsdale, Arizona  
2. Nashville, Tennessee   
3. Charlotte, North Carolina 
4. Louisville, Kentucky 
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
7. Austin, Texas
8. Orlando, Florida
9. Raleigh, North Carolina
10. Cary, North Carolina 
11. Boise City, Idaho
12. Tulsa, Oklahoma
13. Sandy Springs, Georgia 
14. Sioux Falls, South Dakota 
15. St. Petersburg, Florida 
16. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
17. Tampa, Florida 
18. Miami, Florida
19. Roswell, Georgia 
20. Fort Lauderdale, Florida 
21. Carmel, Indiana
22. Plano, Texas 
23. Indianapolis, Indiana
24. Miami Beach, Florida
25. Edmond, Oklahoma 

For further details about the cities, you can view the full report here: Best Cities To Start A Business.

Logan Sachon is the senior managing editor of research at Policygenius. Derek Silva is a former senior editor and personal finance expert at Policygenius.