St. George is #1 AGAIN! Two Other Cities Are in the Top 10. See Why…

Southern Utah keeps showing up on national business lists, and at this point, it’s not a fluke. In WalletHub’s new 2026 ranking of the best small cities in America to start a business, St. George came in at No. 1 nationally, Washington City ranked No. 3, and WalletHub’s write-up highlights St. George for strong startup activity, nearly 42% small-business growth from 2017 to 2023, affordable office space at about $10.73 per square foot, short average commutes, and strong job growth. WalletHub also reports that Washington City posted nearly 42% growth in small businesses over the same period and stands out for startup density, commute times, and workforce growth.

LISTEN HERE: MACRAE HEPPLER JOINS SOUTHERN U-TALK TO TALK ABOUT NEW BUSINESSES COMING TO SOUTHERN UTAH

From a Southern Utah perspective, that tracks. Around St. George and Washington, you can feel the momentum: new storefronts, new service businesses, new trades, new restaurants, and more people willing to bet on this corner of the state. What makes this report stand out even more is that it measured more than 1,300 small cities across 18 metrics in business environment, access to resources and business costs, so Southern Utah wasn’t being compared in a tiny sample.

WE’RE SEEING A TREND

And this is not the first time our region has landed near the top. In 2025, St. George was also ranked No. 1, while Cedar City was recognized as No. 3. In 2024, Cedar City ranked No. 1, St. George was No. 2, and Washington was No. 4. Go back to 2023, and Southern Utah was already dominating the list, with Washington at No. 1, St. George at No. 2, and Cedar City at No. 3.

SO MUCH MORE THAN A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

That kind of consistency says something important: Southern Utah is no longer just a nice place to retire or visit. It is increasingly one of the strongest places in the country to build a business from the ground up.