“Survey says” looks at various rankings and scorecards that judge geographic locations, noting that these gradings are best seen as a mix of art and data science.
Buzz: Irvine is ranked California’s best big city to start a business.
Source: WalletHub reviewed 21 economic and demographic metrics for 100 large U.S. cities, creating an overall national ranking from each locale’s business environment, access to resources and business costs.
Details
Here’s how the 17 California cities in the 100-city scorecard fared, listed in order of their national ranking …
1. Irvine: No. 20 overall — from No. 6 environment; No. 1 resources; and No. 97 in costs.
2. Long Beach: No. 26 overall — from No. 14 environment; No. 32 resources; and No. 82 in costs.
3. Fresno: No. 27 overall — from No. 47 environment; No. 56 resources; and No. 35 in costs.
4. Oakland: No. 30 overall — from No. 8 environment; No. 7 resources; and No. 92 in costs.
5. Stockton: No. 32 overall — from No. 57 environment; No. 21 resources; and No. 48 in costs.
6. Los Angeles: No. 35 overall — from No. 15 environment; No. 29 resources; and No. 85 in costs.
7. San Diego: No. 39 overall — from No. 12 environment; No. 31 resources; and No. 89 in costs.
8. San Francisco: No. 42 overall — from No. 1 environment; No. 6 resources; and No. 100 in costs.
9. Sacramento: No. 49 overall — from No. 36 environment; No. 71 resources; and No. 66 in costs.
10. San Bernardino: No. 52 overall — from No. 53 environment; No. 85 resources; and No. 28 in costs.
11. Riverside: No. 63 overall — from No. 49 environment; No. 69 resources; and No. 73 in costs.
12. Santa Ana: No. 68 overall — from No. 21 environment; No. 95 resources; and No. 81 in costs.
13. Chula Vista: No. 71 overall — from No. 22 environment; No. 77 resources; and No. 88 in costs.
14. Bakersfield: No. 75 overall — from No. 59 environment; No. 90 resources; and No. 59 in costs.
15. Anaheim: No. 76 overall — from No. 27 environment; No. 88 resources; and No. 84 in costs.
16. San Jose: No. 80 overall — from No. 34 environment; No. 12 resources; and No. 98 in costs.
17. Fremont: No. 84 overall — from No. 19 environment; No. 50 resources; and No. 99 in costs.
Caveat
Nationally speaking, this scorecard is significantly influenced by low expenses, with 25% of the grade tied to the local cost of doing business — not a California strength.
The state’s 17 cities studied averaged a 77 rank out of 100 for costs vs. 28 for business environment and 48 for resources. Dare I say you might get what you pay for?
Bottom Line
California looks, at best, middle-of-the-pack when pondering states with three or more cities on this U.S. scorecard, listed in order of average rankings …
1. North Carolina: Five cities with average ranking of 15; with three in the Top 20: Durham (2); Charlotte (6); and Raleigh (7).
2. Colorado: 3 cities with 24 average rank; 1 in Top 20: Colorado Springs (16).
3. Florida: 6 cities with 24 average rank; 4 in Top 20: Orlando (4); Tampa (10); St. Petersburg (12); and Jacksonville (17).
4. Texas: 13 cities with 34 average rank; 5 in Top 20: Laredo (1); Lubbock (3); Austin (8); Fort Worth (9); and Dallas (14).
5. Nevada: 4 cities with 44 average rank; 1 in Top 20: Reno (13).
6. Arizona: 7 cities with 48 average rank; none in Top 20.
7. California: 17 cities with 51 average rank; 1 in Top 20: Irvine (20).
8. Virginia: 3 cities with 79 average rank; none in Top 20.
9. Ohio: 4 cities with 83 average rank; none in Top 20.
Quotable
“My friends in California pay some $800 for a business license. I pay 50 dollars in Virginia,” says professor Jack Yoest at Catholic University of America . “CEOs tell me that they will not invest anywhere they cannot forecast the cost of doing business. What states are likely to increase taxes or mandate expenses that a business will pay? Which states are low tax and low burden? This is business, not politics.”
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
