The Tampa Bay area has once again been chosen among the best places in the nation for female entrepreneurs.
The latest is landing at No. 6 on SmartAsset's "Best Places for Female Entrepreneurs" list, which analyzed 50 of the country's biggest regions.
The regions were judged on a number of criteria: the percent of women-owned businesses, startup early survival rate and the women-to-men pay ratio. This year, factors relating to the novel coronavirus pandemic were also included: the September 2020 unemployment rate and the number of new business applications in 2020 relative to the previous five years.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA ranked No. 6, jumping from No. 8 in 2019. This year, the region pulled high marks with a 79 percent score in the women-to-men pay ratio and 77 percent of early startup survival rate. There is roughly 20 percent of women-owned businesses and 2.4 percent of women-owned businesses that make up the percentage of large businesses. The September unemployment rate was marked as relatively low, with 6.1 percent.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach area also made the top 10, coming in at No. 9. The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MSA ranked at No. 1 for the second straight year. You can see the full report here.
The news follows a Fundera report released in September naming St. Petersburg No. 4 on its list of best cities for female entrepreneurs. That ranking lauded the city for its high number of women-owned businesses and, like the SmartAsset report, its small wage gap.
The recognition comes at a time when the Tampa Bay startup scene is actively trying to boost female entrepreneurs and the funding behind them. The Tampa Bay Wave and Embarc Collective most recently received a two-year, $500,000 grant from JPMorgan intended to raise capital and talent in the local technology sector. The Tampa Bay Wave launched the TechWomen Rising Accelerator program, while Embarc Collective created the Glaring Gap report, which detailed the lack of funding for women-owned businesses as well as the lack of female funders. That was followed with the Glaring Gap Summit, which brought together 50 women ranging from accredited investors to college students seeking venture capital paths.
