Thinking about starting a small business? Don't move. Georgia was recently named one of the top most entrepreneurial states, according to NerdWallet — a personal finance and information service.

The rankings are determined by information analyzed from the U.S. Census Bureau's county business patterns and data on Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.

Of the 50 states, Georgia ranked as the No. 9 most entrepreneurial state with the No. 1 largest average SBA loan in 2014-2015 and the No. 5 highest growth in number of SBA loans from 2012-2015.

Here are the top ten most entrepreneural states in America:

1. Utah

2. Colorado

3. California

4. Connecticut

5. New York

6. Washington

7. Florida

8. Washington, D.C.

9. Georgia

10. Massachusetts

About the Author

Keep Reading

On April 8, 1974, in Atlanta, Hank Aaron smashed baseball’s home run record. Our special coverage celebrating the 50th anniversary of this magical moment has begun online and in our print editions. There’s still more to come as Monday’s historic anniversary arrives.

Credit: Richard Watkins

Featured

Travelers wait in Concourse F, the international terminal, at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com