The Top 10 Big Cities to Launch Your Startup

Today, more and more small cities and towns are becoming great places to start a business. However, for some of us, the pulse of a big city is what keeps us energized. For city-loving entrepreneurs, here’s some good news: You don’t need to move to these small towns to launch a successful new venture. In fact, big cities are still great places to get started.

Related: 4 Qualities That Make for a Great Startup City

Analyzing 150 of the most populated cities in the U.S., WalletHub uncovered the best large cities to launch a business. The study compared and graded cities on a 100-point scale across three categories, including business environment, access to resources and business costs. Among these three categories, the report studied 18 relative metrics such as business survival rate, startups per capita, prevalence of investors and cost of living.

With the highest overall score, Oklahoma City takes home the title for number one best large city to start a business. Following close behind are two other cities that are often recognized for their emerging startup scenes: Salt Lake City and Charlotte, N.C.

Related: 5 Ways to Position Your City as the Next Startup Hotspot

If you’re more interested in the West Coast, steer clear of Seattle. Seattle had the lowest overall score on the list, likely because it’s already saturated with startups.

Still not sure which direction to go? Here are the top 10 big cities to start your new business, according to WalletHub:

1. Oklahoma City

2. Salt Lake City

3. Charlotte, N.C.

4. Tulsa, Okla.

5. Grand Rapids, Mich.

6. Durham, N.C.

7. St. Louis, Miss.

8. Austin, Texas

9. Amarillo, Texas

10. Sioux Falls, S.D.