Texas tops list with good cities for small business

Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Dallas Business Journal by Lance Murray

Dallas-Fort Worth had the ninth-best climate for small businesses in an On Numbers analysis. Lance Murray

Texas markets dominated the top 10 metropolitan areas in the south that promote a healthy climate for small businesses, according to an analysis by On Numbers.

Austin was No. 1 in the analysis, followed by Houston in fourth and McAllen-Edinburgh in fifth. Dallas-Fort Worth ranked ninth, giving Texas four of the top 10 spots.

Raleigh, N.C., rose from sixth last year to second in this analysis, which based its rankings on a six-part formula that looked at such factors as population growth, employment gains and losses and local concentrations of small businesses — those with 99 or fewer employees.

On Numbers is a feature of American City Business Journals, the parent company of the Dallas Business Journal. It is accompanied by the a searchable database of the 37 southern U.S. markets in the analysis.