Normally, ranking 245th would not be something to shout from the rooftops.
However, Dover is in the upper quarter of a listing of the best small cities for starting a small business, according to a recent report from WalletHub.
Dover received higher marks in the business environment and access to resources area.
Dover has been affected by a sluggish economy in recent decades due to the loss of manufacturing and banking jobs and a lack of job growth in state government, Dover Air Force base, and casinos. However, of late, population growth and retail activity have been aiding the economy.
| City | Rank | Business environment | Access to resources | Business costs |
| Wilmington | 651 | 560 | 199 | 876 |
| Dover | 245 | 169 | 275 | 859 |
| Newark | 676 | 682 | 177 | 996 |
| Salisbury, MD | 569 | 921 | 726 | 330 |
| Lancaster, PA | 340 | 902 | 58 | 605 |
| Chester, PA | 734 | 930 | 589 | 619 |
| Vineland, NJ | 1,189 | 1240 | 1,046 | 768 |
| Atlantic City NJ | 1,293 | 1,325 | 1,246 | 711 |
| York, PA | 830 | 1,188 | 619 | 464 |
To determine the best small cities to start a business, WalletHub compared the business-friendliness of more than 1,300 small-sized cities. The data set includes 18 metrics ranging from average growth in the number of small businesses to investor access to labor costs.
As the listing above shows, cities in the region have higher business costs than their counterparts in other areas.
The rankings above are for the three cities listed for Delaware and nearby small cities. Middletown and West Chester, PA, did not make the cut since both cities have a listed population of fewer than 25,000 residents. Middletown could be above the 25,000 figure as of now.
Wilmington and Newark were further down the list but stayed at or near the top 50% tier. Lancaster, PA had the highest ranking.
Cities in Utah and other areas with younger and faster-growing populations ended up near the top of WalletHub’s list. Utah cities accounted for three of the top five rankings.
Click here for the full report.
