Elkhart is among the top cities for business in a ranking compiled by an online resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
This story by Jordan Fouts originally appeared in The Elkhart Truth.
ChamberOfCommerce.org puts the Elkhart-Goshen region as No. 9 in its ranking of the best cities to run or start a business, which was published earlier this week. The list includes 162 U.S. cities with a metro area population of between 50,000 and 250,000, ranked by an average score calculated from variables like job creation rates and per capita income.
Fargo, N.D., tops the list. Elkhart falls between Lake Charles, La., and Appleton, Wis., in the top 10.
The Elkhart region is often recognized in similar rankings, observed Nick Keiffer, president of the Goshen Chamber of Commerce.
“I read their methodology, things like job growth, Elkhart County has been a leader in that for the past couple years,” he said Friday. “Elkhart County has always had a history of being very entrepreneurial. We have the RV industry – some of that stuff started in people’s garages and pole barns.”
The publication, which is not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber or any local chamber of commerce, notes that small cities in the central western and midwestern states fared best in the ranking, representing 15 of the top 20. It also notes that population doesn’t seem to play a significant factor in where a city placed, while most of the small cities in the top 10 rank very high in the variable of young people with a post-secondary education.