It’s no surprise that Arizona cities once again rank overwhelmingly in the bottom one third of an analysis of 2017’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business.
While Tempe is just outside the bottom third, Scottsdale, the most affluent city, ranks the best of Arizona cities in business environment and resource access, 80th and 70th respectfully.
| Rank | City | Total | Business Environment | Resource Access | Business Cost |
| 93 | Tempe, AZ | 45.29 | 110 | 77 | 57 |
| 108 | Phoenix, AZ | 44.69 | 88 | 146 | 56 |
| 111 | Mesa, AZ | 44.43 | 96 | 144 | 50 |
| 116 | Scottsdale, AZ | 44.2 | 80 | 70 | 118 |
| 125 | Glendale, AZ | 43.6 | 97 | 149 | 51 |
| 130 | Tucson, AZ | 42.87 | 145 | 103 | 28 |
| 131 | Peoria, AZ | 42.69 | 99 | 129 | 92 |
| 132 | Chandler, AZ | 42.66 | 89 | 124 | 106 |
| 139 | Gilbert, AZ | 41.22 | 98 | 105 | 119 |
With President Donald Trump proposing to slash the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent and National Small Business Week in full gear, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2017’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business.
To help aspiring entrepreneurs maximize their chances for long-term prosperity, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 most populated U.S. cities across 18 key indicators of startup viability. The data set ranges from five-year business-survival rate to office-space affordability.
| 1 | Oklahoma City, OK | 11 | Springfield, MO | |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, UT | 12 | Raleigh, NC | |
| 3 | Charlotte, NC | 13 | Lubbock, TX | |
| 4 | Tulsa, OK | 14 | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
| 5 | Grand Rapids, MI | 15 | Laredo, TX | |
| 6 | Durham, NC | 16 | Lincoln, NE | |
| 7 | St. Louis, MO | 17 | Winston-Salem, NC | |
| 8 | Austin, TX | 18 | Houston, TX | |
| 9 | Amarillo, TX | 19 | Orlando, FL | |
| 10 | Sioux Falls, SD | 20 | Fort Worth, TX |
Best vs. Worst
- Toledo, Ohio, has the lowest average annual rent for office space, $12 per square foot, which is 6.7 times cheaper than in San Francisco, the city with the highest at $80 per square foot.
- Detroit has the lowest labor costs (median annual income), $25,764, which is 4.1 times lower than in Fremont, Calif., the city with the highest at $105,355.
- Brownsville, Texas, has the lowest cost-of-living index, 79, which is 2.5 times lower than in New York, the city with the highest at 201.
- Irvine, Calif., has the highest share of the college-educated population, 66.4 percent, which is 5.8 times higher than in San Bernardino, Calif., the city with the lowest at 11.5 percent.
- Miami has the most startups per 100,000 residents, 237, which is 12.5 times more than in Columbus, Ga., the city with the fewest at 19.