Study: Southern Cities Best Places to Start Businesses

Nine of the 10 best cities to start a business are in the South — as Tennessee tops the list, with three locations — while others are in Kentucky, Arkansas and North Carolina, according to a SmartAsset.com study released Monday.

"While the stereotype may be that all start-ups are in either the Bay Area or New York City, they're actually all over the country," SmartAsset, the New York-based financial website, said in its report. "Some cities, though, are more affordable for startups than others."

SmartAsset analyzed data from 80 cities nationwide, examining such factors as filing costs, office-space rentals, utilities, legal and accounting fees and payroll for at least five employees.

On the other hand, the 10 costliest cities are those generally associated with small business, according to SmartAsset.

They include San Jose and San Francisco, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; New York City and Seattle, Wash.

"These cities may be where a lot of your favorite start-ups are," SmartAsset says, "but they are expensive, so it might be wise to consider other options as you decide where to base your start-up."

Here are SmartAsset's top 10 cities for start-ups:

1. Chattanooga, Tenn.
2. Wichita, Kansas.
3. Greensboro, North Carolina.
4. Columbia, South Carolina.
5. Little Rock, Ark.
6. Lexington, Ky.
7. Knoxville, Tenn.
8. Memphis, Tenn.
9. New Orleans, Louisiana.
10. Louisville, Ky.

Here are SmartAsset's 10 most-expensive cities for starting a business.

• San Jose, Calif.
• San Francisco.
• Washington, D.C.
• New York, N.Y.
• Oakland, Calif.
• Boston.
• Bridgeport, Conn.
• Seattle, Wash.
• Newark, N.J.
• Nassau, N.Y.

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