St. Louis Ranks in the Top 5 Best Cities for Young Entrepreneurs for 2013

Three Missouri cities have been recognized as among the best for entrepreneurs by readers of the website Under30CEO with St. Louis ranking 5th among medium-size cities for those launching startups. Kansas City came in at No. 4 and Columbia was No. 2 among small cities.

St. Louis, the nation’s 19th largest metropolitan area, is home to many Fortune 1000 companies and several firms listed by Forbes magazine in its U.S. list of ‘Largest Private Companies,’ including Express Scripts, Emerson Electric, Monsanto, Reinsurance Group of America, Ameren, Charter Communications, Peabody Energy, Graybar Electric, and Centene.

Low cost of living and high quality of life in Missouri were both cited, along with financing options for startups. In 2012, Missouri ranked sixth in the nation for the rate in which residents start businesses, Under30CEO reported.

Recently, Missouri was named one of America’s Top Ten Pro-Business States for 2013 by Pollina Corporate. The study examines more than 30 factors relative to state efforts to create business-friendly environments, including taxes, human resources, energy costs, infrastructure spending, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts.

“Once again, Missouri’s low taxes, predictable economic environment, and focus on strict fiscal discipline have kept us a top-ten state for businesses to start, locate and expand,” Gov. Nixon said. “We will continue to hold the line on taxes while making strategic investments in Missouri’s future to create jobs and keep our state moving forward.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that Missouri has been listed in the top ten Pro-Business States.

To view the original article, click here.