Orlando has been ranked as the best large city in the United States to start a business, edging out five other cities from Florida that were among the top 10.
Last week, Wallethub released its yearly ranking, with Orlando taking the top spot.
In order to create the list, the company compared startup opportunities that exist in 100 U.S. cities across three key dimensions: Business Environment, Access to Resources, and Business Costs. The dimensions were then evaluated using 19 different metrics, including length of average work week, venture investment, office-space affordability, and cost of living, among others.
The City Beautiful ranked #1 in Business Environment, #36 in Access to Resources, and #35 in Business Costs.
Wallethub highlighted that the number of small businesses in Orlando has grown faster than in most other cities. Orlando is also one of the top cities on the Kauffman Early-State Entrepreneurship Index, which means that the city’s startups have a high survival rate.
Additionally, the company mentioned that Orlando’s high number of investors per capita leads to startups being “so prevalent and successful” in the city, since those businesses are able to get the funding they need to survive.
Another city in Florida, Tampa, was ranked the second-best large city for starting a small business. According to Wallethub, the combination of low taxes and high capital gives business in Tampa more resources to help them survive the difficult initial years.
Other cities in the Sunshine State that ranked among the top 100 include Jacksonville (#4), Miami (#5), St. Petersburg (#6), and Hialeah (#10).
“Starting a business can be very scary, considering one in every five startups doesn’t make it past the first year,” said Wallethub Analyst Chip Lupo. “That’s why it’s especially important to live in a city that provides an environment where new businesses can thrive, with enough capital, workers and customers to keep it going long-term.”
For more information on resources for small businesses in Orlando, visit the City of Orlando Business Incentives webpage.
To view the complete list of cities, visit Wallethub’s 2025 Best Large Cities to Start a Business webpage.
