| Overall Rank |
City |
Total Score |
Business Environment Rank |
Access to Resources Rank |
Business Costs Rank |
| 387 |
Hilo, HI |
47.83 |
839 |
69 |
693 |
| 687 |
Kahului, HI |
43.87 |
349 |
1249 |
1041 |
| 1266 |
Waipahu, HI |
37.27 |
1227 |
1274 |
942 |
| 1276 |
Pearl City, HI |
36.76 |
1192 |
1267 |
1035 |
| 1283 |
Kaneohe, HI |
36.53 |
1264 |
874 |
1087 |
| 1297 |
Ewa Gentry, HI |
35.75 |
1313 |
1033 |
1050 |
Best & Worst Small Cities to Start a Business (2026)
from WalletHub Apr 13, 2026
Size matters when choosing a city in which to launch a startup. As many veteran entrepreneurs and failed startups understand well, bigger is not always better. A city with a smaller population can offer a greater chance of success, depending on an entrepreneur’s personal preferences and the type of business they’re starting. The best cities can even help new businesses survive economic shocks such as pandemics or inflation.
To determine the best small cities to start a business, WalletHub compared the business-friendliness of 1,334 small-sized cities. Our data set of 18 key metrics ranges from the growth rate of the number of small businesses to investor access and labor costs.
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