You don't have to be in a major metropolitan area to start a successful small business.

New data from GoDaddy shows the Central Valley outpaces entrepreneurial growth in Silicon Valley.

"Fresno shows that regional mid-sized markets are just as good as anywhere else with this momentum," says GoDaddy Small Business Economist Alexandra Rosen.

Fresno ranked 6th for "GoDaddy's Most Entrepreneurial Cities in 2026."

Factors that went helped it rise on the list included a 4% year-over-year growth in the number of new small businesses in the community.

"Why that's also important for the Fresno community is that where there's more small businesses, there's more economic goodness," Rosen said. "I don't know if you know this, but for every one additional entrepreneur in a community with a small business, there's about five jobs created."

Rosen says the ranking reflects a region where agriculture acts as a startup incubator.

In addition to turning farming operations into avenues for technology and sustainability ventures, lower overhead compared to coastal markets makes entrepreneurship attainable.

"Even if you're a small business, because who we're talking about here are predominantly people with 10 or fewer employees, and a lot of them are solo entrepreneurs, that you matter, that these economic effects come from your small business," Rosen said.

Topping the list was San Antonio, followed by Miami. Fresno was the only California city to land on the list.

"The communities have no one trend between them on the list, so that's exciting because it means there's not one formula to success," Rosen said.

Other highlights include the strong Latino business community driving formation across retail, food and services, and growing investment interest in agriculture and food innovation.

"We do this work to celebrate small businesses, and the more we can see and understand them, the more we can support them," Rosen said. "When there are more small businesses, communities are more resilient. Not just in terms of the culture of the community, but economically with job growth, lower unemployment."

Click here to see the full report.

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