We all know that the world of business is no longer dominated by men, but there are some places in particular where women are making huge strides in the professional realm. NerdWallet, a financial literacy website, has conducted a study to find out the top 10 cities for women entrepreneurs, which may be of particular interest to you if you’re trying to figure out where to go with your business degree after graduation!
1. San Francisco, CA
This city is well-known for its entrepreneurial climate and particularly for its leg-up on the technological industry. San Francisco is also home to three of America’s most famous businesswomen: the COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg, the CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer, and the CEO of Hewlett-Packard Meg Whitman!
2. Seattle, WA
This is one of the most highly educated cities in the nation with one of the lowest unemployment rates. Seattle has 12.5 businesses per 100 residents, and around 4 of those businesses are owned by women. This city also has organizations like CHEW, which is a network of independent, women-owned businesses encouraging other female entrepreneurs to open their businesses in the Seattle area.
3. Washington, DC
DC is a city in which over a third of the businesses are owned by women. DC also offers plenty of resources to women, like the Washington, DC Women’s Business Center, which help women along in their journey to achieve their business goals through things like trainings, classes, and one-on-one consultations.
4. Minneapolis, MN
Much like DC, almost a third of the businesses in Minneapolis are owned by women. Beyond that, the National Association of Women Business Owners of Minnesota is super active, along with nearby WomenVenture, which provides business consulting by appointment and teaches budding entrepreneurs how to write a business plan in their flagship class ‘Planning to Succeed.’
5. Portland, OR
A hefty portion of the businesses in Portland are owned by women. That, accompanied by a generally well-educated population and a low unemployment rate, makes this an ideal locale for potential businesswomen! Organizations like Women Entrepreneurs of Oregon make it easy for women to gain education on how to find success in Portland. Also, Oregon’s largest employer is Intel, and that company has six Oregon campuses as well as female Executive Vice President Renee James.
6. Atlanta, GA
Another city where a third of the businesses are run by women! The Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection offers women assistance in finding mentors, and the state helps female business owners find networking assistance and provides them with plenty of trainings.
7. Austin, TX
There are almost 11 businesses to every 100 Austin residents! Austin is known for its start-ups, and for its low unemployment rate of only 6.2%, which makes this an ideal locale for budding entrepreneurs. With programs like Austin Women in Technology, aspiring businesswomen should have no problem finding the support they need to succeed!
8. Raleigh, NC
The City of Raleigh has adopted a Small Disadvantaged Minority and Women Owned Business Program, which promises to award 15% of the city’s contracts to minority-owned and women-owned businesses. That, along with organizations like Raleigh Business and Professional Women, make Raleigh a great city for female entrepreneurs.
9. Denver, CO
Denver is a highly educated city brimming with businesses, 30% of which are owned by women! They offer resources to businesswomen through The Entrepreneur Center at the University of Denver, like mentorship and networking opportunity. The city also hosts Denver Startup Week, seven days of office hours, parties, mentorship and networking events.
10. San Diego, CA
With a pretty high median income, an educated population, and an entrepreneurial atmosphere, this city is great for aspiring businesswomen! San Diego’s female entrepreneurs can access mentors, workshops, networking events, and various business tools through SCORE and the NAWBO.
There you have it! If you’re aiming for a career in the world of business, start packing your bags for one of these ten entrepreneurial hot spots to get the ball rolling. For more detailed statistics or information on the methodology used to find this list, feel free to check out the full report!