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RSW Living Magazine

WalletHub Names Fort Myers in Top 10 Small Cities to Start a Business

May 07, 2018 10:46AM ● By Kevin
WalletHub has named Fort Myers as 2018’s 10th-best small city to start a business, according to a recent story on the city's website. In the report, WalletHub compared the business-friendliness of more than 1,200 small-sized cities and analyzed 18 key metrics ranging from average growth in number of small businesses to investor access to labor costs.

The three dimensions analyzed included business environment, access to resources, and business costs, evaluating cities with a population of between 25,000 and 100,000 residents. There were a total of 1,261 cities included in the report.

“We’ve streamlined our permitting process and are experiencing a significant uptick in activity,” P.E. city manager Saeed Kazemi said on the city's website. “The positive growth environment for new and existing businesses is incredible."

Eight cities in Florida made the top 100, with Fort Myers being the only Florida city ranked in the top 20. Other Florda cities included in the report were:

  • Dania Beach (24)
  • Boca Raton (28)
  • Deerfield Beach (45)
  • Riviera Beach (61)
  • North Lauderdale (89)
  • Doral (92)
  • Boynton Beach (98)
  • Greenacres (107)
  • Hallandale Beach (121)
  • Margate (131)
  • Oakland Park (134)
  • Coconut Creek (145)
  • Jupiter (146)
  • Altamonte Springs (149)
  • Winter Park (157)
  • Largo (163)
  • Sunrise (165)
  • Fort Pierce (170)
  • Winter Garden (180)
  • Palm Beach Gardens (183)
  • North Fort Myers (184)
  • Daytona Beach (185)
  • Lakeland (188)
  • Bradenton (194)
  • Royal Palm Beach (197)
  • Sarasota (198)
  • Sanford (199)
  • Tamarac (208)
  • Davie (212)
  • Delray Beach (218)
  • Ormond Beach (222)
  • Port Orange (223)
  • Melbourne (225)
  • Plantation (228)
  • Lake Worth (229)
  • Lauderdale Lakes (230)
  • Miami Beach (239)
  • Riverview (240)
  • Ocoee (242)
  • Bonita Springs (243)
  • Aventura (254)
  • North Miami Beach (256)
  • Lauderhill (257)
  • Homestead (259)
  • Kendall (263)
  • Casselberry (271)
  • North Miami (275)
  • St. Cloud (279)
  • Cooper City (291)
  • Miami Lakes (294)
  • Plant City (295)
  • Winter Haven (300)
  • Clermont (304)
  • Cutler Bay (316)
  • Kissimmee (322)
  • Wellingotn (324)
  • Apopka (328)
  • Titusville (329)
  • Merritt Island (340)
  • Wesley Chapel (346)
  • Dunedin (348)
  • Ovidedo (350)
  • Pinellas Park (363)
  • Palm Coast (364)
  • Winter Springs (371)
  • Spring Hill (375)
  • Ocala (391)
  • Rockledge (393)
  • Pensacola (407)
  • Panama City (413)
  • Coral Gables (424)
  • Deltona (437)
  • Land O'Lakes (497)
  • Weston (518)
  • Palm Harbor (521)
  • Port Charlotte (540)
  • North Port (547)
  • Valrico (641)
  • The Villages (759)
  • Navarre (1,140)
The data came from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, AreaVibes, Yelp, Indeed, Tax Foundation, LoopNet and WalletHub research.

Fort Myers scored a 53.75 in the survey. The top city, Holland, Mich., scored a 60.62. Fort Myers' business environment rank was 120, its access to resources rank was 136, and its business costs rank was 138.

For the full report and metrics breakdown, click here.