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Top 25 Cities for Doing Business in America

9. Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, California

10. Modesto, California

11. Stockton, California

12. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Florida

13. Corpus Christi, Texas

14. Syracuse, New York

15. Springfield, Missouri

16. Monmouth-Ocean, New Jersey

17. Westchester County, New York

18. Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pennsylvania

19. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

20. Daytona Beach, Florida

21. Jackson, Mississippi

22. Lancaster, Pennsylvania

23. Portland, Maine

24. Boise City, Idaho

25. Akron, Ohio

Small cities (job bases up to 150,000) have suffered from years of dwindling population. Their affordability is reversing the trend

1. Montpelier With classic Yankee humility, George Malek, executive vice president of the Central Vermont Chamber, could not bring himself to boast about his region's top ranking. He cited instead his city's burgeoning insurance industry and the advantages of being a state capital and home to several small colleges.

2. Missoula Montana's nice scenery and the local university go a long way in a small place. Missoula's population has almost doubled in the past 30 years, and many newcomers have started businesses. Financial and professional business services, as well as information, have all made solid gains.

3. Casper With 66,000 people in this Wyoming region, Casper is small even by small-town standards. But its business services industries--in particular, financial services--made strong showings. Another sign that professional service sectors are declustering from traditional urban centers.

4. Rockland County Although not cheap by midwestern or southern standards, its housing prices are bargain basement compared with areas closer to New York City. Population growth has been three times the New York average since 2000, while information and business services have shown solid growth.

5. Sioux Falls This South Dakota small city is picking up population, a far cry from the out-migration of years past. There's a skilled work force for financial and professional services and an emerging information and biological sciences sector. Both are attracting investment dollars.

6. Waco, Texas

7. Burlington, Vermont

8. Dutchess County, New York

9. Anchorage, Alaska

10. Manchester, New Hampshire

11. Bismarck, North Dakota

12. Bryan-College Station, Texas

13. Danbury, Connecticut

14. Altoona, Pennsylvania

15. Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota

16. Las Cruces, New Mexico

17. La Crosse, Wisconsin

18. Newburgh, New York

19. Albany, Georgia

20. Medford, Oregon

21. Utica-Rome, New York

22. Lake Charles, Louisiana

23. Bristol, Virginia

24. Fort Smith, Arkansas

25. Enid, Oklahoma

10 Worst Metro Areas

These large cities suffer from unaffordable housing, overreliance on single industries, and often, poor quality of life for the middle class upon whom entrepreneurs rely.

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