This week, WalletHub released its report on the Best Major Cities of 2022 to Start a Business, and two cities in the “Sunshine State” top the list.
“Americans are born with an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s in our DNA. From the Gold Rush to the Industrial Revolution and the Internet Age, periods of intense innovation have shaped our economy and sparked major social advances. That said, the past few years have been among the most challenging for entrepreneurs in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conditions in the U.S. are improving now that the country has reopened and many people have been vaccinated, but many entrepreneurs are having trouble finding new employees,” noted Wallet Hub.
“To help aspiring entrepreneurs—from restaurant owners to high-tech entrepreneurs—maximize their chances of long-term success after the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the relative opportunities for startups in 100 U.S. cities. We did this using 20 key metrics, ranging from the five-year business survival rate to the percentage of vaccinated residents to the availability of office space,” WalletHub added.
Five Florida cities made the top 20. Orlando was ranked as the best large city in the country to start a business, with Miami close behind in second place. Jacksonville ranked seventh on the list, while Tampa ranked tenth. Hialeah ranked 16th and St. Petersburg 17th.
“Miami and Hialeah, in Florida, have the highest number of startups per 100,000 residents—248.31,” noted WalletHub.