Did your city make the list? One region in particular blew away the competition.
More black people own small businesses than ever: The percentage of black-owned businesses grew to 9.4 percent of total businesses in the United States in 2012—up from 7.1 percent in 2007, according to U.S. Census data.
With this number only predicted to increase, business owners should think about which locations are best for them. For its annual Small Business Friendliness Survey, Thumbtack interviewed 18,000 small business owners across the country (1,663 of which were black) on how friendly their city and states are in terms of regulations and taxes.
NFIB CAN HELP: Everything you need to know to start a business
“What we learned is that black business owners nationwide were slightly younger, more likely to work alone and cited inflation as a top concern for the federal government at twice the rate of other business owners in our survey,” wrote Jon Lieber on the Thumbtack blog. “They were also concentrated in a small number of industries with 26 percent in events (primarily catering and DJs) and 15 percent in cleaning. Black businesses were also notably overrepresented in moving and professional services like tax preparation and computer repair.”
Here are the top 10 cities for black-owned small businesses in 2015, their grades, how they’ve changed since last year, and the best and worst aspects, according to Thumbtack’s survey:
1. Austin, Texas
Overall: A+ (same as in 2014)
Best: Overall friendliness
Worst: Employment, labor and hiring
2. Dallas, Texas
Overall: A+ (same as in 2014)
Best: Employment, labor and hiring
Worst: Ease of hiring
3. Columbus, Ohio
Overall: A- (improved from B in 2014)
Best: Training and networking programs
Worst: Ease of hiring
4. West Palm Beach, Florida
Overall: B- (same as in 2014)
Best: Tax code
Worst: Ease of hiring
5. Richmond, Virginia
Overall: A+ (improved from A in 2014)
Best: Health and safety
Worst: Zoning
6. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Overall: A- (same as in 2014)
Best: Environmental
Worst: Training and networking programs
7. Kansas City, Missouri
Overall: B+ (improved from B in 2014)
Best: Ease of starting a business
Worst: Training and networking programs
8. Nashville, Tennessee
Overall: A+ (improved from A in 2014)
Best: Overall friendliness and ease of starting a business
Worst: Training and networking programs
9. Jacksonville, Florida
Overall: B (improved from B- in 2014)
Best: Tax code
Worst: Ease of hiring
10. Raleigh, North Carolina
Overall: B+ (down from A- in 2014)
Best: Ease of hiring
Worst: Health and safety
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