Denver ranks high in GoDaddy’s entrepreneurial football city study

TEMPE, Ariz. — Denver has been ranked No. 2 in GoDaddy’s new Entrepreneurial Power Rankings, a study measuring the concentration of small business owners in U.S. cities with professional football teams.

The rankings cover 30 metro areas and are based on the number of entrepreneurs per 100 residents. The analysis includes stadium neighborhoods as well as nearby downtown and suburban areas, where GoDaddy said small and microbusinesses are growing alongside game-day crowds and the flow of visitors and workers drawn to live events.

Miami Gardens, home of the Miami Dolphins, topped the list. Glendale, Arizona, and Arlington, Texas, placed third and fourth. Nearly every city ranked above the national average for entrepreneurship, with Pittsburgh the only metro area to fall slightly below.

GoDaddy said its methodology highlights how entrepreneurs thrive in communities surrounding football stadiums. The report emphasized the role of population growth, diversity and digital connectivity in fueling business activity, particularly in Florida and mid-sized metros such as Glendale and Nashville.

“The concentration of small business entrepreneurs around pro football stadiums is no surprise, as game day and other events hosted in some of America’s biggest arenas drive significant economic activity,” said Alexandra Rosen, economist and global head of the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab.

GoDaddy noted that most of the businesses in its study employ fewer than 10 people, many of them sole proprietors. The research also found that many entrepreneurs start with little outside funding and often represent women, immigrants or people of color.

The rankings are part of GoDaddy’s ongoing work to track entrepreneurship and provide tools for small businesses. The company said its findings show how entrepreneurs create jobs locally and, with an online presence, extend their reach to customers well beyond their communities.