10 most affordable U.S. cities for startups

Although successful startups are often associated with such tech-friendly towns as San Francisco or Austin, the commercial insurance blog Embroker aptly points out that "not all top startups have a Bay Area budget." In a recent blog post about places in the U.S. that are both most expensive and least expensive for nascent businesses, the Embroker Team notes that it takes more than an innovative idea to get a business off the ground. Startup entrepreneurs also need to be prepared to shoulder such expenses as office space, salaries and legal fees. To that end, Embroker looked at geographically-specific stats like job creation rate, median rent, average energy costs and state business filing fees to determine the most cost-efficient cities in the U.S. for startups. The slideshow above illustrates the 10 cities that are the most favorable to new startups, according to Embroker. See also:

• Small business is big business
• Recruiting qualified employees tops list of challenges facing small businesses
• How small businesses can support their employees' mental wellness