While Silicon Valley may have a dearth of female entrepreneurs, that’s not true across the U.S. Companies run by women account for 30% of all businesses nationwide, and that share has been on the rise as the number of female-owned firms continues to grow year-over-year.
However, the distribution of those companies varies widely across the U.S. That’s because some cities are more adept than others at setting up environments that support women-owned operations, according to a study by WalletHub.
“Location plays a key role in the success of any business but an even bigger one for women-owned firms,” wrote Wallethub’s Richie Bernard. “That’s because some areas are better than others at encouraging female entrepreneurship and recognizing its value.”
The result? Head on over to Tennessee if you’re a woman looking to get a new operation going. The Nashville area took home the top spot on Wallethub’s list followed by Chattanooga, Tenn. at No. 2 and Memphis at No. 4.
Take a look at the map below to see which cities across the U.S. are better at attracting women-owned firms. The bluer the dot, the friendlier the city.
The study looked at the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas and compared them on 10 key metrics indicative of female-friendly business environments, including growth of women-owned companies, presence of women’s business centers, and the industry variety of the firms.
