CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Want to start a business in a small city? Here are the best places to start a business in West Virginia.
In order to find the best small cities to start a business, Wallethub ranked over 1,300 cities across the U.S. Only cities with a population between 25,000 and 100,000 were included in the ranking. Because none of the cities in West Virginia are considered big cities, West Virginia’s main metros are included in the ranking.
Morgantown was ranked the best small city for businesses in West Virginia at 439th overall. Morgantown was ranked 130th for access to resources and 211th for affordable business costs but was in the bottom 100 for business environment.
West Virginia cities that were included in the ranking are:
- Morgantown – 439th overall
- Wheeling – 552nd overall
- Huntington – 727th overall
- Parkersburg – 910th overall
- Charleston – 946th overall
The business environment is lacking in West Virginia; all the West Virginia cities that were included were in the worst 100 for business environment.
Out of 1,334 cities, Charleston, West Virginia had the lowest average growth in small businesses in the country.
The top five small cities for new businesses were:
- Washington, Utah
- St. Geoge, Utah
- Bozeman, Montana
- Ceder City, Utah
- Fort Myers, Florida
The worst small cities in the country for starting a small business are Cupertino, California; Potomac, Maryland; Olney, Maryland; Pacifica, California; and Saratoga, California.
Utah and Florida dominated the top end of the ranking, and California, New Jersey and Maryland filled a lot fo spaces near the bottom of the ranking.
To see the full ranking of 1,334 cities, click here.
Below is a list of new businesses that have recently opened in Morgantown:
- Don’s Appliances – appliance store
- Cannabist – cannabis dispensary
- Phoenix Public House – restaurant and pub
- BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – Hindu temple
- Zen Leaf – Cannabis dispensary
- Forever Rose Room – selfie studio
