A map of the United States illustrates the rankings for WalletHub’s 2026 study of the Best Cities for Hispanic Entrepreneurs.
Courtesy/WalletHub
Laredo was ranked among the top 10 best cities for Hispanic entrepreneurs in a WalletHub study, and it was the highest-ranked city outside Florida.
The study ranked 182 of the most populated cities in the country based on 23 metrics in the categories of Hispanic business-friendliness and Hispanic purchasing power.
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Hispanic business-friendliness accounted for 60% of the total ranking. The metrics of share of Hispanic-owned businesses and Hispanic entrepreneurship rate each counted for 8%. Counting for 4% each were the following:
Average growth of Hispanic business revenues from 2017 to 2022.
Presence of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Small business-friendliness.
Entrepreneurial activity index.
Industry variety.
Five-year business survival rate.
Significant startups per capita.
Small-business loans per total number of small businesses.
Average monthly rent for office space.
Corporate tax rank.
Average length of workday.
Laredo finished 17th in Hispanic business-friendliness. It had a pair of top-10 finishes in the category, tying for first in Hispanic-owned businesses at 61.82% and ranking ninth for small-business loans. It also ranked within the top half for the following:
Entrepreneurial activity index (14th).
Hispanic entrepreneurship rate (16th).
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (41st).
Five-year business survival rate (61st, 53.7%).
Average workday length (65th).
Average office space rent (74th).
Small business-friendliness score (79th).
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“In the top cities for Hispanic entrepreneurs, as many as 30% of businesses are owned by Hispanic people,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “While these cities also tend to have large Hispanic populations overall, the high entrepreneurship rates indicate that they offer business-friendly conditions. In the top cities, Hispanic entrepreneurs can enjoy low corporate tax rates and good opportunities for growth. Plus, a large Hispanic population can be especially helpful for entrepreneurs who want to cater to that demographic.”
Laredo ranked last in industry variety at 181st, and it was also among the bottom half for average growth of Hispanic revenues (133rd, -11.65%), corporate tax rank (155th) and significant startups per capita (168th).
Hispanic purchasing power accounted for 40% of the total ranking. The metrics of affordability and Hispanic unemployment rate each counted for 6.96%, Hispanic housing tenure counted for 1.74%, and counting for 3.48% were the following:
Share of Hispanic households with annual earnings above $75,000.
Income growth for Hispanics.
Housing affordability for Hispanics.
Hispanic job security.
Share of Hispanic residents.
Hispanic population growth.
Share of Hispanics with at least a bachelor’s degree.
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Laredo ranked 21st for Hispanic purchasing power. It had a pair of top-10 rankings at No. 2 for share of Hispanic residents at 95.07% and No. 7 for Hispanic housing tenure — which measures the renter-to-owner ratio — at 0.56.
It also ranked among the top half for housing affordability (14th), affordability (45th) and Hispanic unemployment rate (81st, 5.5%).
Laredo finished among the bottom half in income growth for Hispanics (97th, 35.68%), Hispanic job security (100th), share of Hispanics with a bachelor’s degree (100th, 21%), Hispanic households earning above $75,000 (106th, 42.18%) and Hispanic population growth (159th, -0.9%).
Laredo finished 10th overall behind nine Florida cities. The top eight cities all ranked within the top eight for Hispanic business-friendliness, while Jacksonville was No. 12 and Laredo was No. 17. However, Laredo had the highest Hispanic purchasing power rank among the top 10 at No. 21, while the Florida cities ranged from Cape Coral at No. 25 to Miami at No. 126.
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The top nine cities ahead of Laredo were Pembroke Pines in first, followed by Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Miami, Hialeah, Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Tampa and Jacksonville.
After Laredo, Corpus Christi was the highest-ranked Texas city at No. 17. Also in the top half were Brownsville (No. 23), El Paso (No. 26), Fort Worth (No. 34), San Antonio (No. 38), Amarillo (No. 39), Austin (No. 41), Arlington (No. 43), Grand Prairie (No. 45), Dallas (No. 54), Irving (No. 55), Houston (No. 79), Plano (No. 80) and Garland (No. 85).
The only Texas city ranking within the bottom half was Lubbock at No. 140.
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The bottom 10 cities in the rankings were:
Bridgeport, Connecticut (No. 173).
New Haven, Connecticut (No. 174).
Providence, Rhode Island (No. 175).
Detroit, Michigan (No. 176).
Cleveland, Ohio (No. 177).
Worcester, Massachusetts (No. 178).
Boston, Massachusetts (No. 179).
Rochester, New York (No. 180).
Bismarck, North Dakota (No. 181).
Buffalo, New York (No. 182).