Fort Myers was ranked the third best small city to start a business, according to a report from personal-finance website WalletHub. To determine the most business-friendly small markets in the U.S., WalletHub compared more than 1,300 cities with fewer than 100,000 residents across 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from small business growth rates and the accessibility of financing to investor access and labor costs. The report states Fort Myers has one of the highest numbers of investors per capita in the country, which improves the chances of startups finding the funding they need. This investment access allowed the number of small businesses in the city to grow by over 21% between 2015 and 2021. It ranks in the top 100 cities for office-space affordability, at $12.20 per square foot, and for the number of startups per capita. Two Utah cities—Cedar City and St. George—ranked ahead of Fort Myers with Washington, Utah, and Post Falls, Idaho, rounding out the top 5.
