From Business Journals:

Note: We don’t post many of these rankings but we make an exception since this is one compiled by newspapers that include our own Memphis Business Journal.

Each market’s score has been determined by a six-part formula. (See the methodology sidebar for a full explanation.)

The following chart includes a selection of relevant statistics:

  • Each market’s rank and score for small-business vitality
  • Number of small businesses (companies with 99 or fewer employees)
  • Small businesses per 1,000 residents
  • Five-year change in private-sector employment
  • Two-year change in population
  • Population

All statistics are the latest official figures currently available: 2011 for small businesses, 2012 for population and 2013 for employment. A few factors that were included in the formula are not shown here because of space considerations.

TBJ SMALL-BUSINESS RANKINGS (2014)

RankAscending Market Score Small businesses (SB) SB per 1,000 residents 5-year change in private-sector jobs 2-year change in population Population (2012)
1 Austin 12.66 40,966 23.01 14.0% 6.2% 1,834,303
2 Miami-Fort Lauderdale 10.95 169,440 29.79 3.7% 3.2% 5,762,717
3 Provo, Utah 9.72 10,696 19.79 10.6% 3.9% 550,845
4 San Jose 9.24 44,291 23.71 6.6% 2.8% 1,894,388
5 Houston 8.03 120,183 19.86 8.7% 3.9% 6,177,035
6 Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla. 7.93 19,691 27.77 1.7% 2.3% 720,042
7 Oklahoma City 7.91 32,424 25.41 5.0% 3.1% 1,296,565
8 Orlando 7.01 53,659 24.67 4.2% 3.9% 2,223,674
9 Denver 6.79 71,786 27.63 4.1% 3.6% 2,645,209
10 Raleigh 6.44 28,245 24.29 6.4% 4.5% 1,188,564
11 Salt Lake City 5.88 30,581 27.62 5.4% 2.9% 1,123,712
12 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla. 5.87 15,391 24.37 1.7% 4.0% 645,293
13 Dallas-Fort Worth 5.82 136,837 20.83 7.3% 3.9% 6,700,991
14 San Francisco-Oakland 5.74 115,376 26.24 3.3% 2.5% 4,455,560
15 Tampa-St. Petersburg 5.39 67,845 24.00 4.6% 1.9% 2,842,878
16 New York City 5.21 523,465 26.53 4.0% 1.2% 19,831,858
17 Portland, Ore. 4.78 60,821 26.90 2.7% 2.6% 2,289,800
18 Boston 4.42 118,282 25.69 4.0% 1.7% 4,640,802
19 Grand Rapids, Mich. 4.31 17,384 17.45 9.7% 1.6% 1,005,648
20 Seattle 4.06 93,571 26.75 2.7% 3.0% 3,552,157
21 Charleston, S.C. 3.99 16,057 23.55 3.3% 4.5% 697,439
22 Los Angeles 3.71 324,629 25.08 0.6% 1.6% 13,052,921
23 Minneapolis-St. Paul 3.49 86,712 25.59 3.5% 2.0% 3,422,264
24 Portland, Maine 3.48 16,742 32.44 1.5% 0.8% 518,117
25 San Diego 3.21 74,189 23.64 0.8% 2.4% 3,177,063
26 Atlanta 3.12 124,795 23.22 4.3% 2.9% 5,457,831
27 McAllen-Edinburg, Texas 3.02 10,957 13.80 8.3% 3.5% 806,552
28 Washington 2.94 136,899 23.72 2.9% 3.4% 5,860,342
29 Nashville 2.75 35,993 21.19 11.1% 3.0% 1,726,693
30 Madison, Wis. 2.45 14,681 23.91 2.3% 2.4% 620,778
31 Pittsburgh 1.81 57,515 24.37 4.1% 0.2% 2,360,733
32 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, Calif. 1.65 19,261 23.17 -0.5% 1.3% 835,981
33 San Antonio 1.57 39,404 17.98 5.3% 3.8% 2,234,003
34 New Orleans 1.48 28,321 23.34 3.6% 2.7% 1,227,096
35 Bakersfield, Calif. 1.40 11,725 13.80 8.7% 1.7% 856,158
36 Des Moines, Iowa 1.32 14,286 24.60 2.6% 3.0% 588,999
37 Durham, N.C. 1.23 11,322 22.03 3.0% 3.4% 522,826
38 Chicago 1.21 229,940 24.22 0.5% 0.5% 9,522,434
39 Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn. 1.10 26,148 28.19 -0.7% 1.6% 933,835
40 Indianapolis 0.83 40,862 21.39 4.7% 1.9% 1,928,982
41 Tulsa 0.59 23,273 24.62 -0.4% 1.3% 951,880
42 Charlotte 0.57 42,803 18.96 4.8% 3.3% 2,296,569
43 Little Rock, Ark. 0.53 17,045 23.97 0.8% 2.2% 717,666
44 Baltimore 0.49 62,782 22.97 4.5% 1.4% 2,753,149
45 Colorado Springs 0.36 16,109 24.42 -0.5% 2.8% 668,353
46 Baton Rouge, La. 0.19 17,320 21.42 2.4% 1.4% 815,298
47 El Paso, Texas 0.09 13,164 16.03 3.2% 2.9% 830,735
48 Albany, N.Y. 0.04 20,564 23.55 1.4% 0.4% 874,646
49 Lancaster, Pa. 0.02 11,716 22.36 -0.4% 1.3% 526,823
50 Jacksonville -0.02 32,776 24.08 2.3% 2.1% 1,377,850
51 Kansas City -0.02 48,504 23.95 0.5% 1.2% 2,038,724
52 Phoenix -0.04 84,301 19.83 1.7% 2.9% 4,329,534
53 Boise, Idaho -0.07 15,714 25.04 4.1% 3.2% 637,896
54 Omaha -0.09 21,476 24.48 0.4% 2.0% 885,624
55 Richmond -0.53 29,814 24.46 1.4% 1.8% 1,231,980
56 Buffalo -0.62 26,094 22.98 1.2% -0.1% 1,134,210
57 Ogden, Utah -0.66 11,067 18.27 3.7% 2.1% 612,441
58 Sacramento -0.69 43,355 19.92 -1.0% 1.9% 2,196,482
59 Rochester, N.Y. -0.89 22,965 21.22 0.6% 0.2% 1,082,284
60 Syracuse, N.Y. -0.91 14,901 22.49 -1.4% -0.3% 660,934
61 Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa. -0.96 17,723 21.47 4.1% 0.6% 827,171
62 Akron, Ohio -1.21 15,926 22.66 -0.3% -0.1% 702,262
63 Detroit -1.22 94,450 22.03 0.9% 0.0% 4,292,060
64 Greenville, S.C. -1.42 14,566 17.48 3.2% 2.1% 842,853
65 Philadelphia -1.66 139,922 23.33 -0.1% 0.8% 6,018,800
66 Harrisburg, Pa. -1.78 12,933 23.45 0.1% 0.7% 553,980
67 Las Vegas -2.09 38,326 19.48 -2.6% 2.4% 2,000,759
68 Columbus -2.33 37,527 19.49 4.0% 2.0% 1,944,002
69 Providence -2.56 39,682 24.80 -0.6% 0.0% 1,601,374
70 Greensboro, N.C. -2.83 16,847 23.06 -2.8% 1.5% 736,065
71 St. Louis -2.91 67,594 24.20 -0.6% 0.2% 2,795,794
72 Louisville -2.92 28,349 22.77 2.7% 1.1% 1,251,351
73 Honolulu -3.51 20,648 21.37 2.6% 2.1% 976,372
74 Virginia Beach-Norfolk -3.68 36,026 21.36 0.7% 1.2% 1,699,925
75 Springfield, Mass. -3.90 14,323 22.90 -2.2% 0.4% 625,718
76 Columbia, S.C. -3.93 16,305 20.99 1.4% 1.9% 784,745
77 Palm Bay-Melbourne, Fla. -3.99 12,507 22.98 -1.3% 0.6% 547,307
78 Toledo, Ohio -4.10 14,065 23.08 0.2% -0.2% 608,711
79 Knoxville, Tenn. -4.20 15,396 18.26 2.3% 1.2% 848,350
80 Cincinnati -4.22 44,178 20.82 -0.9% 0.6% 2,128,603
81 Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. -4.29 63,141 14.68 0.4% 2.5% 4,350,096
82 Hartford -4.53 28,149 23.17 0.4% 0.1% 1,214,400
83 Cleveland -4.58 50,196 24.27 -2.1% -0.6% 2,063,535
84 New Haven, Conn. -4.68 18,766 21.75 0.5% 0.0% 862,813
85 Fresno, Calif. -4.90 15,409 16.38 -2.1% 1.6% 947,895
86 Worcester, Mass. -4.93 16,992 18.43 0.9% 0.5% 923,762
87 Birmingham -5.35 24,576 21.70 -2.8% 0.7% 1,136,650
88 Milwaukee -5.39 36,477 23.36 -2.1% 0.7% 1,566,981
89 Albuquerque -6.01 18,036 20.10 -6.1% 1.4% 901,700
90 Tucson -6.11 19,652 19.90 -3.3% 1.1% 992,394
91 Modesto, Calif. -6.30 8,121 15.68 -0.4% 1.2% 521,726
92 Dayton, Ohio -6.36 16,774 20.94 -3.3% 0.1% 800,972
93 Jackson, Miss. -6.53 12,229 21.32 0.1% 1.5% 576,800
94 Augusta, Ga. -6.58 9,970 17.46 0.1% 1.6% 575,898
95 Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa. -6.69 12,747 22.60 -1.1% 0.0% 563,629
96 Chattanooga, Tenn. -6.74 10,622 19.92 -1.5% 1.6% 537,889
97 Youngstown, Ohio -6.77 12,355 22.00 -1.3% -1.2% 558,206
98 Stockton, Calif. -7.11 10,457 15.03 -2.4% 2.2% 702,612
99 Wichita, Kans. -9.20 14,044 22.17 -7.2% 0.7% 636,105
100 Lakeland, Fla. -9.42 10,453 17.14 -4.0% 2.1% 616,158
101 Memphis -9.50 24,310 18.23 -2.2% 1.1% 1,341,690