West Coast Story

After several years of losing ground to the Washington, D.C., area, California is flush with 81 Inc. 500 companies in 2007, up from 66 last year. Interestingly, finance and advertising--two industries often associated with New York-- contributed a quarter of California's total. Indeed, the entire western U.S. is looking good, as you'll see below.

States with the most Inc. 500 companies

1. California 81
2. Texas 38
3. Virginia 35
4. (Tie) New York 26
   Florida 26
6. Massachusetts 24
7. Washington 23
8. Georgia 20
9. New Jersey 19
10. Pennsylvania 18

Metro areas* with the most Inc. 500 companies

1. Washington, D.C. 40
2. New York City 38
3. San Francisco 26
4. Los Angeles 25
5. Boston 22
6. (Tie) Dallas 20
   Atlanta 20
8. Seattle 18
9. Phoenix 17
10. (Tie) Chicago 16
    Philadelphia 16

Cities with the most Inc. 500 companies per million residents**

1. Provo-Orem, Utah 12.7
2. Washington, D.C. 7.6
3. Austin 7.3
4. (Tie) Los Angeles 6.2
   San Francisco 6.2
6. Portland, Oreg. 5.6
7. (Tie) Seattle 4.9
   Boston 4.9
9. San Diego 4.4
10. Phoenix 4.2

*As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau
**Includes only metro areas with three or more companies