10 best places for starting a small business

ORLANDO, Fla. – July 12, 2007 – Florida is the best state to grow a small business, according to a new study by Bizjournals, the Web site of American City Business Journals Inc.

Bizjournals used a 12-part formula to rate the vitality of small-businesses in the nation's 75 largest metropolitan areas. These 75 markets, taken as a group, had 179 million residents as of mid-2005, accounting for 60 percent of the nation's total population. They also included 4.5 million small businesses, a number that rose by 7 percent between 2000 and 2005.

The study's objective was to identify those metros most conducive to the creation and development of small businesses. The highest scores went to areas that have prosperous economies, rapid expansion and a high number of small businesses.

The top 10 are:

   1. Orlando
   2. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
   3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
   4. Las Vegas
   5. Jacksonville, Fla.
   6. Raleigh, N.C.
   7. Washington, D.C.
   8. Salt Lake City, Utah
   9. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, Calif.
  10. Minneapolis-St. Paul

Source: BizJournals, G. Scott Thomas (07/10/2007)