In WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of the best large cities in America to start a business, St. Pete landed at #5 — backed by strong scores in business environment, business costs, and access to resources.
The study evaluated 100 cities across those three dimensions using 19 metrics drawn from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Kauffman Foundation. WalletHub placed St. Pete 10th in the nation for business environment, 29th for business costs, and 36th for access to resources out of 100 cities.
For a CEO considering where to relocate a company, those numbers reflect something more fundamental than startup appeal: a city where businesses operate efficiently and the conditions for long-term growth are already in place.
The metrics driving a strong business environment score — five-year survival rates, job growth, revenue trends, investor activity — are the same fundamentals that matter to an established company evaluating a new home base. Low operating costs and a growing workforce pipeline reduce overhead and expand hiring options.
St. Pete’s top-five finish suggests those fundamentals hold up well against the rest of the country.
Read the full WalletHub report here.
Thinking about making St. Pete your company’s next headquarters? Connect with the St. Pete EDC.
