Best Cities to Start a Business in Oregon

Oregon has become a mecca for budding entrepreneurs of all stripes, owing to its natural beauty, quirky, bustling urban centers, and extremely favorable tax climate for small businesses. The low tax burden is one spot where Oregon truly shines. The state is one of only five states without a sales tax, ensuring that the price you see on the shelf is the price that you’ll pay for the product.

Also, corporations based in Oregon benefit from a minimum corporate tax of only $150 a year. As corporations strive to pay the lowest tax possible, Oregon has one of the most favorable tax climates for corporations. For private businesses, the situation in Oregon is also quite favorable. The state boasts the tenth-best business survival rate in the country.

Many entrepreneurs are drawn to Oregon for its thriving art and music scenes and the opportunity for outdoor activity.

Eugene, whose official motto is “A Great Place for the Arts and Outdoors”, certainly lives up to its name. Eugene has continued in this tradition as one of the original locus points for counterculture activity in the 1960s, with over 25 art museums and private galleries. It also has a vibrant music scene, owing to its status as the home of the University of Oregon. Located in the midst of a rolling landscape of hills and forests, Eugene is also a wonderful base for cycling, skiing, rafting, and more.

Only cities with over 50,000 inhabitants are reported in the results. Some data had to be interpolated to the county level and extrapolated to all the cities in the county. We concentrated on the following metrics to obtain our ranking: Cost of living, Best state for business, Unemployment, Kauffman index, and Universities.