Top 12 American Cities Based On Their Overall Attractiveness For Business

The North Carolina State Capitol Raleigh snagged the top spot on Forbes Magazine’s annual list of “the best places for business and careers in 2014,” followed by Des Moines, Iowa at no. 2, Provo, Utah coming in third, Denver at no. 4, and Fort Collins at no. 5. These top 12 metro area cities are business-friendly and generate plenty of jobs, too

The top five cities are frequent front-runners on entrepreneurial lists, and have something in common: startups.

Here is a list of the top 12 American cities based on their overall attractiveness for business and careers: who has the best and worst business climates?

1. Raleigh, North Carolina capital, ranks first this year, moving up from 3rd in 2013, has a population of about 1,233,700, gross metro product (GMP) of $61 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.8 percent.

2. Des Moines, Iowa capital and last year’s top-ranked city, drops back to 2nd, has a population of about 594,900, gross metro product (GMP) of $38 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 4 percent.

3. Provo, Utah has a population of about  567,000, gross metro product (GMP) of $19 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 2.9 percent.

4. Denver has a population of about 2,687,300, gross metro product (GMP) of $157 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.5 percent.

5. Fort Collins, Colo. has a population of about 317,500, gross metro product (GMP) of $15 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 7.3 percent.

6. Lincoln, Neb. has a population of about 313,900, gross metro product (GMP) of $17 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.0 percent.

7. Oklahoma City, Okla. has a population of about 1,313,200, gross metro product (GMP) of $61 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.2 percent.

8. Salt Lake City, Utah has a population of about 1,181,300, gross metro product (GMP) of $74 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.9 percent.

9. Seattle, WA has a population of about 2,779,000, gross metro product (GMP) of $212 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.1 percent.

10. Nashville, TN has a population of about 1,670,200, gross metro product (GMP) of $87 billion, projected to have annual GMP growth of at least 3.4 percent.

11. Ogden, UT has a population of about 576,000, gross metro product (GMP) of $21 billion, and median household income: $63,322.

12. Charlotte, NC has a population of about 1,877,000, gross metro product (GMP) of $106.9 billion, is now the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City.

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Analysts rank 200 largest metro areas in the country from best to worst, evaluating factors such as jobs, cost of living and doing business, income growth, quality of life and education. On the other end of the spectrum, Hickory was listed as one of the worst places for business – at No. 191. For more on Which American cities have the highest job-creation rates?

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