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Analysis Identifies Markets with the Highest Annual Revenue, Number of Employees, Ages of Businesses and Credit Scores Among Small Business Owners

NEW YORK, NY, April 29, 2013 - Biz2Credit.com has identified the Fastest Growing Small Business Cities in America, based on the following criteria:

  • Average Annual Revenue: Riverside-San Bernardino, CA ($508,538)
  • Average of Number of Employees: Houston (7.1)
  • Youngest Average of Age Business (in Months): Houston (34.0)
  • Highest Average Credit Score: San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area (643)

"Houston has had sustained growth, thanks to an influx of immigrants who have started their own businesses. The city's small businesses have created the highest average number of jobs (7.1) and are the youngest in age (34 months), meaning that these are new businesses that have started up only in the past three years," said Biz2Credit CEO, Rohit Arora, one of the nation's leading experts in small business finance, who oversaw the research. "If governments want to promote small businesses, they cannot handcuff entrepreneurs with fees and costs."

For this analysis, Biz2Credit defined "small businesses" as companies having fewer than 250 employees or less than $10 million in annual revenues.

"When we embarked upon this study, we expected cities such as New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, which both have well deserved reputations for business innovation, to be atop the list," Arora added. "However, the costs of doing business are much greater in big cities along the east coast. In other sections of the country, the cost of living is much cheaper. Technology levels the playing field."


Arora points out that New York's state and local tax burden, government fees, cost of living (property taxes have risen about 30% in past few years), the prevalence of unions, and high insurance costs make it unattractive for knowledge-based businesses, which don't have to have a presence in the Big Apple to be successful

"While sales in New York are higher than in other places, the operating costs are also higher. Thus, revenues up, but profits are down, " Arora said. "These realities do not bode well for small business growth."

Drivers of small business growth include the arrival of large numbers of Latinos and South Asian immigrants, who are starting companies in metropolitan areas in all sections of the country, including cities in southern California, Texas, and Florida.

Top 25 metro areas with highest small business loan application growth 2011-12 (sorted by Annual Revenue)Average Annual RevenueAverage of Number of EmployeesAverage of Age in MonthsAverage Credit Score
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA $508,538 4.5 50.6 618
New York City metro $470,146 5.0 51.5 641
Los Angeles $465,857 5.9 59.8 633
Boston $442,552 3.9 66.0 639
Houston $417,931 7.1 34.0 639
Washington $372,698 5.9 49.0 623
Jacksonville, FL $365,816 4.4 48.8 604
Detroit $359,649 4.1 52.1 611
Cincinnati $357,371 5.1 61.5 618
Cleveland $344,711 3.7 48.0 613
Miami-Fort Lauderdale $327,945 6.0 44.7 616
Chicago $323,596 5.3 48.4 626
Philadelphia $313,805 5.4 49.6 625
Orlando $297,922 4.5 37.6 615
San Francisco-Oakland $297,751 4.0 44.4 643
Baltimore $288,770 4.7 49.6 623
Dallas-Fort Worth $288,641 4.4 37.5 620
Atlanta $258,990 5.1 38.9 607
Seattle $258,354 4.6 37.5 626
Phoenix $242,496 5.6 45.8 619
Denver $241,393 3.7 37.4 621
Tampa-St. Pete $225,506 4.5 36.4 612
St. Louis $223,331 4.3 42.3 618
Charlotte $214,088 5.5 39.6 614
San Diego $203,567 3.6 46.0 625
National Average $343,815 4.7 46.0 616

Small businesses in Houston had the highest average number of employees. This measurement is significant, as smaller companies have created the lion's share of new jobs during the past decade.

"Houston was well ahead of the other cities in the average number of employees at small companies," Arora explained.

Top 25 metro areas with highest small business loan application growth 2011-12 (sorted by # of Employees)Average Annual RevenueAverage of Number of EmployeesAverage of Age in MonthsAverage Credit Score
Houston $417,931 7.1 34.0 609
Miami-Fort Lauderdale $327,945 6.0 44.7 616
Los Angeles $465,857 5.9 59.8 633
Washington $372,698 5.9 49.0 623
Phoenix $242,496 5.6 45.8 619
Charlotte $214,088 5.5 39.6 614
Philadelphia $313,805 5.4 49.6 625
Chicago $323,596 5.3 48.4 626
Atlanta $258,990 5.1 38.9 607
Cincinnati $357,371 5.1 61.5 618
New York City metro $470,146 5.0 51.5 641
Baltimore $288,770 4.7 49.6 623
Seattle $258,354 4.6 37.5 626
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA $508,538 4.5 50.6 618
Tampa-St. Pete $225,506 4.5 36.4 612
Orlando $297,922 4.5 37.6 615
Jacksonville, FL $365,816 4.4 48.8 604
Dallas-Fort Worth $288,641 4.4 37.5 620
St. Louis $223,331 4.3 42.3 618
Detroit $359,649 4.1 52.1 611
San Francisco-Oakland $297,751 4.0 44.4 643
Boston $442,552 3.9 66.0 639
Denver $241,393 3.7 37.4 621
Cleveland $344,711 3.7 48.0 613
San Diego $203,567 3.6 46.0 625
National Average $343,815 4.7 46.0 616

When sorted by Age of Business, Houston was again the leader.

"The small number of months in business indicates more startups in the area," Arora explained. "Cities such as New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and Boston tend to have older, more established companies, which raise the average."

Top 25 metro areas with highest small business loan application growth 2011-12 (sorted by Age of Business)Average Annual RevenueAverage of Number of EmployeesAverage of Age in MonthsAverage Credit Score
Houston $417,931 7.1 34.0 609
Tampa-St. Pete $225,506 4.5 36.4 612
Denver $241,393 3.7 37.4 621
Seattle $258,354 4.6 37.5 626
Dallas-Fort Worth $288,641 4.4 37.5 620
Orlando $297,922 4.5 37.6 615
Atlanta $258,990 5.1 38.9 607
Charlotte $214,088 5.5 39.6 614
St. Louis $223,331 4.3 42.3 618
San Francisco-Oakland $297,751 4.0 44.4 643
Miami-Fort Lauderdale $327,945 6.0 44.7 616
Phoenix $242,496 5.6 45.8 619
San Diego $203,567 3.6 46.0 625
Cleveland $344,711 3.7 48.0 613
Chicago $323,596 5.3 48.4 626
Jacksonville, FL $365,816 4.4 48.8 604
Washington $372,698 5.9 49.0 623
Philadelphia $313,805 5.4 49.6 625
Baltimore $288,770 4.7 49.6 623
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA $508,538 4.5 50.6 618
New York City metro $470,146 5.0 51.5 641
Detroit $359,649 4.1 52.1 611
Los Angeles $465,857 5.9 59.8 633
Cincinnati $357,371 5.1 61.5 618
Boston $442,552 3.9 66.0 639
National Average $343,815 4.7 46.0 616

When sorted by Average Credit Score, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area again the leader.

"Small businesses in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles tended to have higher credit scores. Many of these cities are tech hubs with small, nimble and profitable small businesses. They are also areas with a long history of innovation and success, and thus achieve higher credit scores," Arora said.

Top 25 metro areas with highest small business loan application growth 2011-2012 (sorted by Credit Score)Average Annual RevenueAverage of Number of EmployeesAverage of Age in MonthsAverage Credit Score
San Francisco-Oakland $297,751 4.0 44.4 643
New York City metro $470,146 5.0 51.5 641
Boston $442,552 3.9 66.0 639
Los Angeles $465,857 5.9 59.8 633
Seattle $258,354 4.6 37.5 626
Chicago $323,596 5.3 48.4 626
San Diego $203,567 3.6 46.0 625
Philadelphia $313,805 5.4 49.6 625
Baltimore $288,770 4.7 49.6 623
Washington $372,698 5.9 49.0 623
Denver $241,393 3.7 37.4 621
Dallas-Fort Worth $288,641 4.4 37.5 620
Phoenix $242,496 5.6 45.8 619
Cincinnati $357,371 5.1 61.5 618
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA $508,538 4.5 50.6 618
St. Louis $223,331 4.3 42.3 618
Miami-Fort Lauderdale $327,945 6.0 44.7 616
Orlando $297,922 4.5 37.6 615
Charlotte $214,088 5.5 39.6 614
Cleveland $344,711 3.7 48.0 613
Tampa-St. Pete $225,506 4.5 36.4 612
Detroit $359,649 4.1 52.1 611
Houston $417,931 7.1 34.0 609
Atlanta $258,990 5.1 38.9 607
Jacksonville, FL $365,816 4.4 48.8 604
National Average $343,815 4.7 46.0 616

About the Biz2Credit Fastest Growing Small Business Cities Study

Biz2Credit analyzed businesses with less than 250 employees and less than $10 million in annual revenues from across the country that have been in operation for more than 1 year.

About Biz2Credit

Founded in 2007, Biz2Credit is a leading credit marketplace connecting small- and medium-sized businesses with lenders, service providers, and complementary business tools. The company matches borrowers to financial institutions based on each business's unique profile -- completed in less than four minutes -- in a safe, efficient, price-transparent environment. Biz2Credit's network consists of 1.6 million users, 1,100+ lenders, credit rating agencies such as D&B and Equifax, and small business service providers including CPAs and lawyers.

Having arranged $800 million in funding throughout the U.S., Biz2Credit is widely recognized as a leading online credit resource for small business loans, lines of credit, working capital and other funding options., Follow on Twitter @Biz2Credit, and "Like Us" on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/businessloan

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