NerdWallet ranks Boulder nation’s best place to start a business; Fort Collins comes in 12th

Personal finance website NerdWallet.com this week ranked Boulder the best place in the country to start a business, with the Fort Collins-Loveland area not far behind at No. 12.

NerdWallet looked at 183 metropolitan areas across the country, ranking them based on metrics including average revenue of businesses, percent of businesses with paid employees, number of businesses per 100 people, median annual income, median annual housing cost and unemployment rate.

“With stunning Rocky Mountain views, a booming technology scene, a large natural food industry and a culture that appreciates locally made goods, it’s no surprise that Boulder tops our list,” the NerdWallet report stated. “Boulder has abundant resources for entrepreneurs, including several co-working spaces, capital investors and incubators.”

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Boulder was followed on the list by Wilmington, N.C. at No. 2; the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., area at No. 3; Evansville, Ind.-Kent., at No. 4 and Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine at No. 5.

Boulder scored particularly well for its concentration of businesses, with 14.1 per 100 people. Of the cities in the top 10, only Wilmington scored higher with 15.1 per 100 people.

Fort Collins-Loveland came in 12th, one spot behind Des Moines, Iowa, to help lead the charge for Colorado cities.

Elsewhere in the state, Denver-Aurora ranked 24th, Greeley ranked 99th and Colorado Springs ranked 107th.