Report: Kansas City is ‘meh’ for millennial entrepreneurs
September 30, 2015 | Bobby Burch
A recent survey found that young entrepreneurs view Kansas City as a rather pedestrian locale to launch a business.
Millennial entrepreneurs ranked Kansas City as the 30th best city to start a business, according to a Thumbtack survey of about 3,700 entrepreneurs aged 34 and under. Thumbtack, which created a marketplace that connects professional service providers with customers, asked millennial entrepreneurs questions about the friendliness of local tax laws, licensing rules, the regulatory environment, training and networking opportunities and more.
Despite facing a sluggish economy after the Great Recession, millennial entrepreneurs have been launching a high number of startups and are looking for the best environments to do so.
In 2011, entrepreneurs age 20 to 34 were on average creating about 160,000 businesses each month, according to a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 27 percent of millennials in 2011 identified as self-employed.
Birmingham, Alabama earned the top ranking, followed by Boise, Idaho, Boulder, Colo., and Nashville, Tenn., respectively. Omaha earned a No. 12 ranking in the survey while St. Louis ranked as the 81st best place for millennial entrepreneurs. The survey evaluated 95 cities in total.

2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
It started with street smarts and a spit handshake; the only thing MADE MOBB was missing: a business book
Editor’s note: Startland News’ coverage of Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City is made possible by the support of Husch Blackwell. Celebrating the victories is easy, said Vu Radley, calling out a decade in business for his streetwear company, MADE MOBB, along with high profile partnerships ranging from UMKC and United Way to the Kansas Chiefs and…
LaunchKC awards $300K: Six new startups enter the winners’ circle with KC investments
Editor’s note: Startland News’ coverage of Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City is made possible by the support of Husch Blackwell. Emerging entrepreneurs don’t need Silicon Valley to launch or scale their startups, said Holly Andra Small, leader of one of six companies announced Tuesday as $50,000 winners in LaunchKC’s grants competition. “We were so excited,” said…
Digital Health KC earns $2M federal grant, doubled by matching funds from Kauffman Foundation
Three weeks after Kansas City’s designation as a U.S. “Tech Hub,” the region has earned “tremendous funding to jumpstart KC’s digital health cluster,” said Maria Meyers, informally announcing a $2 million federal grant — matched by an award from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Build to Scale grant was awarded to the University of…
Pitch competition at GEW Topeka puts $38K on the line for women, entrepreneurs of color
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. TOPEKA — Building an equitable business community in Shawnee County is critical to economic development in and around the state’s capital city, said Glenda Washington. A pitch competition slated for…
