AQUA BOOK 2016 | Page 28

SOUTH TEXAS CITIES BY THE RANKINGS SMALL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Due in part to the state’s business friendly environment, all cities in South Texas fared very well in the WalletHub survey for the best cities to start a business. The survey compares numerous factors for nurturing start-ups, including financing accessibility, office space affordability, and employee availability. According to its survey of 150 cities, Laredo ranks 18th, followed by Brownsville (22rd) and Corpus Christi (33rd). It is quite easy to start a business in South Texas. San Antonio earns the lowest ranking of 59th, due largely to relative difficulty for businesses to access capital resources. Particularly for Hispanic entrepreneurs, Corpus Christi and Laredo offer the best business environment due in part to their relatively large Hispanic population that provides abundant opportunities for businesses catered to Hispanics, such as food services. Best Cities to Start a Business (Rankings) Corpus Christi and Laredo offer the best business environment. . . 22 Brownsville Corpus Christi 18 Laredo San Antonio Source: WalletHub. Best Cities for Hispanic Entrepreneurs (Rankings) 34 Brownsville Source: WalletHub. 26 59 33 Annual Review of South Texas Economy 2 3 Corpus Christi Laredo 20 San Antonio