Entrepreneurship continues to reshape career paths as well as local communities.
Download exclusive Most Entrepreneurial College Town seal and tables below.
GoDaddy analyzed small business data across United States to determine the Most Entrepreneurial College Towns of 2026. From large student campuses to smaller towns, the rankings highlight where entrepreneurship is accelerating, and how students and the ecosystem around them are part of the Empowerment Economy.
Data Highlights
See which college towns are growing the fastest when it comes to the creation of new small businesses, and explore exclusive sortable tables below.
TOP50
2026 Most Entrepreneurial College Towns
Ranked by microbusiness growth, July 2025–June 2026
Rank
College & town
GrowthMax 20.2%
Density
Microbusinesses
Category
Enrollment
Full bar = 20.2% growth, Stanford University
No college towns match these filters.
1–10
01
Stanford UniversityStanford, CA
20.2%
Density 9.9
1,761 microbusinesses
Suburb
10,000–19,999
02
University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO
16.1%
Density 5.6
909 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
03
University of DelawareNewark, DE
16.0%
Density 44.2
11,891 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
04
Elon UniversityElon, NC
15.5%
Density 5.1
499 microbusinesses
Suburb
5,000–9,999
05
State University of New York at CortlandCortland, NY
14.6%
Density 6.1
910 microbusinesses
Town
5,000–9,999
06
The University of Tennessee-MartinMartin, TN
14.0%
Density 3.7
342 microbusinesses
Town
5,000–9,999
07
West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, WV
13.5%
Density 16.5
4,523 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
08
SUNY OneontaOneonta, NY
13.0%
Density 7.5
1,017 microbusinesses
Town
5,000–9,999
09
Coastal Carolina UniversityConway, SC
12.9%
Density 13.7
3,096 microbusinesses
City
10,000–19,999
10
Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL
12.8%
Density 3.5
433 microbusinesses
Suburb
5,000–9,999
11–20
11
Miami University-OxfordOxford, OH
12.5%
Density 4.4
873 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
12
University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MD
12.5%
Density 7.1
2,185 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
13
Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA
12.3%
Density 11.9
2,020 microbusinesses
City
10,000–19,999
14
University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
12.1%
Density 10.2
8,278 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
15
Southwestern Oklahoma State UniversityWeatherford, OK
12.0%
Density 6.5
616 microbusinesses
Town
5,000–9,999
16
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL
11.4%
Density 6.7
5,039 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
17
Ohio University-Main CampusAthens, OH
11.3%
Density 6.4
1,374 microbusinesses
Town
20,000+
18
Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA
11.0%
Density 9.7
1,736 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
19
Eastern Washington UniversityCheney, WA
10.9%
Density 5.6
611 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
20
Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LA
10.9%
Density 6.9
1,315 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
21–30
21
Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ
10.9%
Density 39.2
9,787 microbusinesses
City
5,000–9,999
22
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
10.8%
Density 4.4
1,958 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
23
Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI
10.8%
Density 3.2
739 microbusinesses
Town
20,000+
24
Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UT
10.8%
Density 12.7
11,858 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
25
Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL
10.5%
Density 9.5
2,068 microbusinesses
Suburb
10,000–19,999
26
The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
10.4%
Density 5.3
4,857 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
27
Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX
10.4%
Density 7.3
4,487 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
28
Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA
10.3%
Density 16.6
17,325 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
29
Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA
10.3%
Density 8.3
5,309 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
30
Brigham Young University-IdahoRexburg, ID
10.2%
Density 7.2
2,467 microbusinesses
Town
20,000+
31–40
31
Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
10.1%
Density 4.4
929 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
32
University of Missouri-ColumbiaColumbia, MO
9.9%
Density 10.2
10,620 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
33
Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KS
9.9%
Density 6.5
2,995 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
34
Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY
9.8%
Density 16.1
4,901 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
35
Clemson UniversityClemson, SC
9.7%
Density 5.9
946 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
36
Oklahoma State University-Main CampusStillwater, OK
9.7%
Density 6.1
2,569 microbusinesses
Town
20,000+
37
Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ
9.7%
Density 11.3
7,136 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
38
University of New Hampshire-Main CampusDurham, NH
9.6%
Density 8.3
832 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
39
Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI
9.6%
Density 7.9
1,505 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
40
University of North DakotaGrand Forks, ND
9.5%
Density 5.3
2,543 microbusinesses
City
10,000–19,999
41–50
41
University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, VA
9.5%
Density 30.8
11,691 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
42
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, VA
9.4%
Density 6.1
2,485 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
43
Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT
9.4%
Density 23.5
11,417 microbusinesses
City
10,000–19,999
44
University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
9.3%
Density 4.2
588 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
45
Murray State UniversityMurray, KY
9.3%
Density 9.0
1,378 microbusinesses
Town
10,000–19,999
46
University of California-DavisDavis, CA
9.3%
Density 9.0
5,210 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
47
University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA
9.3%
Density 17.1
17,941 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
48
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA
9.2%
Density 17.7
7,693 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
49
Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
9.2%
Density 4.2
1,883 microbusinesses
Suburb
20,000+
50
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
9.2%
Density 14.0
19,858 microbusinesses
City
20,000+
Source: GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab Microbusiness Density data. Ranked by growth in total microbusinesses, July 2025 to June 2026. Density is microbusinesses per 100 adults, June 2026. Bars are scaled to the highest value among all 50 college towns. A college town is a place with a population of at least 10,000, at least one four-year public or non-profit higher-education institution with 5,000 or more students, and at least 20% of residents enrolled in college or graduate school. Available for download via Data Hub.
Why It Matters: The 2026 Economic Impact
Small businesses don’t just reshape cities, they also drive local economies forward. More small and micro-businesses means more jobs created and greater household income on average, making communities stronger and more vibrant places to live and work – on their own terms.
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