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Friday, May 20, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

A survey of more than a thousand small cities in America names Carbondale as one of the top towns to start a small business.

A 2016 national study by financial adviser Wallet Hub of best small cities to start a small business ranks Carbondale 22nd out of 1,268.

The survey considered factors like access to resources and average revenue per business.

Cool news, and North Chicago actually scored as the 2nd best small city in the nation. Wilmette is listed as the small city with the fourth most educated workforce.

* But it’s not quite that straight forward…

Where Carbondale doesn’t do well is business environment. According to the survey, the city scores close to last place on specific items like average business growth and revenues.

* And there are some real rough spots here. For instance, Carbondale was ranked as having the lowest median annual income in the nation, one notch ahead of East St. Louis, of all places.

While Carbondale ranked 2nd in highest average growth in number of small businesses, Galesburg was two slots away from the very bottom of that national category.

And Danville was very near the bottom in the number of startups per capita national category.

9 Comments

- Honeybear - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 11:51 am:
Totally correct. That’s why when the work requirement comes on for food stamps in November it’s going to be absolutely devastating. They have to be working a certain amount per wk. If not they get 3 months to find a job then a 3 year ban. We just don’t have the jobs here to do that. I get it if our unemployment rate were even close to average. It’s not. Add that to the fact that we have low low low median income. My poor poor people. God how I love them but they are so screwed.

- Ray del Camino - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 11:51 am:
The ‘Dale is not going to be a great place to start a business until its top economic engine, SIU, gets funded. Its economy is grinding to a halt.

- LizPhairTax - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 11:51 am:
Ahem, Winnetka. Don’t let the Carhartt fool ya.

- jack28 - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 11:55 am:
I wonder how much the stats are skewed by Carbondale having SIU. Similarly, Wilmette may have an educated workforce, but no industry, unless accounting firms constitute an industry.

- Almost the Weekend - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 12:08 pm:
What do Danville, East Saint Louis, Galesburg, and Carbondale all have in common. Large corporations outsourced their jobs overseas/closed plants because of corporate profits and left these towns economically devastated. East Saint Louis is more complicated especially with race. But until free trade agreements are addressed and Illinois works with downstate IL to advance to a 21st century economy. Downstate and Chicagoland area will continue to look like night and day.

- Keyser Soze - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 12:43 pm:
People are drawn to the Carbondale area by the abundance of natural resources (Shawnee National Forest, etc.)and SIU. With respect to the latter, many arrive at the University as young students, later become hippies, and then never leave. That’s one facet of the American dream.

- DuPage - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 1:05 pm:
Galesburg was hurt when the refrigerator plant was moved to Mexico. They never recovered from that.

- Anonymous - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 1:07 pm:
“Carbondale was ranked as having the lowest median annual income in the nation”

But what about all those highly-paid SIU administrators and their lavish pensions?

- Mike Cirrincione - Friday, May 20, 16 @ 2:46 pm:
@almost:

There are at least a half dozen prisons, with good salaries, union representation, and pensions within an hour or so drive from Carbondale. The more people incarcerated for possession of marijuana, the greater the job security.

All the best,
Mike C.

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