With May 3 kicking off National Small Business Week, the personal-finance company WalletHub released its report on 2026’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business, as well as expert commentary, in order to help entrepreneurs find the right places for their startups to thrive. WalletHub compared 100 U.S. cities across 19 key indicators of startup viability. The data set ranges from the five-year business-survival rate to labor costs to office-space affordability.

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst said, “Starting a business can be very scary, considering one in every five startups doesn’t make it past the first year. That’s why it’s especially important to live in a city that provides an environment where new businesses can thrive, with enough capital, workers and customers to keep it going long-term.”