Study: St. Louis, Springfield, KC earn high marks for cities to startup
May 2, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Though still performing well on a national level, Kansas City, Mo., was recently rated as the third-best large city in Missouri for founders to start a business, according to a recent study.
Personal finance website WalletHub found that St. Louis and Springfield are the No. 7 and No. 11 best large cities to start a business in the U.S., respectively, surpassing Kansas City’s rank of No. 32.
WalletHub ranked 150 large cities by evaluating their performance across 18 differently-weighted metrics, ranging from business survival rate and office-space affordability to labor costs and access to resources. To learn more on the study’s methodology, click here.
St. Louis earned a high ranking thanks to its access to resources and low business costs, including low labor costs, office-space affordability, cost of living and corporate taxes. Springfield snagged a No. 1 national ranking for low business costs, which appears to have fueled its top-15 ranking.
Kansas City earned its ranking for relatively low business costs and business environment, which was calculated by startups per capita, five-year survival rate entrepreneurship index and more.
Kansas City’s dropped from its 2016 ranking in the study, in which it earned a No. 16 spot, while St. Louis ranked as the No. 5 city and Springfield earned No. 8.
Across the state line into Kansas, Wichita earned a No. 103 ranking and Overland Park nabbed a No. 122 rating.
Overall, Oklahoma City was ranked the top large city to start a business, followed by Salt Lake City and Charlotte. To see the complete ranking, click here.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Just funded: LaunchKC unveils 7 newest grant winners, topping $385K in startup capital
LaunchKC’s big reveal Tuesday was about more than checking a box — or getting hands on oversized checks — with grant competition winners taking the stage to introduce their companies to an eager community of supporters, entrepreneurs and investors. “This event is incredible,” said Donnie Hampton, co-founder of Roz, one of seven startups honored Tuesday…
This founder’s own pain point became too painful; Why he’s back to embracing the loss that sparked his startup
When healthtech founder Chris Jones pivoted away from the painful memory of losing his son — a catalyst for launching his medical records startup — he shelved a vital piece of the “why” behind both his company and his passion, Jones said. “I never understood what my power was — not just the technology —…
Fashion Arts Fund names new leader as shift toward new vision comes into focus
A Kansas City nonprofit dedicated to making impact on the city’s fashion scene announced its new executive director Wednesday — stitching a dyed-in-the-wool KC fashion designer into the organization’s new look. Elon Kebede — founder, designer, and creative director for Kansas City, Kansas-based ELU by Elon — is expected to lead the Fashion Arts Fund,…
Pitch event matches queer singles with dates, but there’s a catch: It’s a bestie behind the mic
Singles within Kansas City’s queer community are about to experience a fresh take on matchmaking, said Tiffany Watts, detailing plans for a pitch event this week where lonely hearts could find connections with help from people who already see them best: their friends. The interactive Where to Find Us event is set for Thursday, Nov.…