NEW: Multiple Nevada Cities Listed as Best Places to Start a Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 21, 2026

LAS VEGAS, NV - Nevada continues to emerge as one of the most business-friendly environments in the country under Governor Joe Lombardo, with multiple cities in the state ranked among the best places to start a business.

According to a new study from WalletHub, four Nevada cities ranked in the top 30 nationwide for startup opportunity: North Las Vegas (#15), Henderson (#17), Reno (#22), and Las Vegas (#27). The rankings evaluated 100 major U.S. cities across 19 key metrics, including business survival rates, labor costs, and access to capital, all critical indicators of long-term economic success.

“Governor Joe Lombardo has made it a priority to create an environment where new businesses can grow, thrive, and succeed, and these new rankings reflect that progress,” said Halee Dobbins, spokeswoman for the Lombardo campaign. “From Day 1 he has made it clear that Nevada is open for business and thanks to his pro-business policies, including reducing regulatory burdens, lowering taxes, and investing in workforce and infrastructure development, we are seeing results. Governor Lombardo knows the job isn’t finished, and that’s why he’s committed to building on this momentum and keeping Nevada one of the best places in America to start and grow a business.”

Economic Growth Under Governor Joe Lombardo:

From Day 1, Governor Lombardo’s focus has been on economic diversification and we have seen major improvements in new projects and businesses coming here.
Under his watch, there has been $5 billion+ of unprecedented private investment in Nevada, including:
- The biggest business investment in Nevada history in 2023 with a historic $3.6 billion investment from Tesla, which will create 3,000 new jobs.
- In February 2023, Redwood Materials announced an expansion in northern Nevada, with 3,400 construction jobs and 1,600 new full-time jobs anticipated.
- In June 2023, the MLB and the Athletics organization announced relocation to Las Vegas and a new stadium adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. The A’s will invest over $1 billion into the stadium and relocation, and the stadium is anticipated to bring 14,600 construction jobs, 8,000 operations jobs, and 9,000 incremental visitation jobs.
Nevada’s economy has recovered from the burdens placed on it by the previous administration, from extended COVID lockdowns, mandates, and restrictions.
- Nevada led the nation in a historic surge of new business creation after the COVID-19 pandemic. (UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research)
Created more than 44,500 new jobs through strategic investment by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Reduced the tax burden on businesses and lowered the Modified Business Tax rate by 15%.
Lowered the standard contribution unemployment insurance (UI) tax rate from 1.65% to 1.45%, which helps large and small businesses by reducing what they must pay in UI taxes and reduces the rates on businesses in the 18 classes of reserve ratios.
Vetoed tax increases in both the 2023 and 2025 Nevada Legislative Sessions.
Cut or streamlined over 900 burdensome state regulations over the last two years.
Announced the delivery of reliable high-speed internet to nearly 50,000 unserved and underserved homes, businesses, and community institutions statewide through $375 million of Nevada’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding.
Expanded Nevada's Inland Port Authority, authorizing the creation of tax increment areas within inland ports or industrial parks to finance projects through bond issuances backed by incremental tax revenues; expanded Career and Technical Education requirements statewide to help support teaching pathways, dual-credit programs, and work-based learning experiences. 
Approved incentives with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) Board for 48 companies since January 2023. In the next 5 years, these companies are projected to:
- Pay $512 million in annual wages
- Bring in $6 billion in capital investment
- Over the abatement period, these companies will generate more than $1.69 billion in net new tax revenues for our state.
Presented and signed his Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, cutting bureaucratic barriers and accelerating attainable housing development. With an allocation of $183 million, this initiative aims to catalyze the development of over $1 billion in affordable and attainable housing options.
Secured over 6,500 new affordable rental homes in the Nevada Housing Division pipeline, which will increase overall affordable inventory by more than 15% and help ease the housing supply shortage in Nevada over the next 2 to 5 years.
Secured $180 million for the Nevada Health Authority for the first year of the new federal Rural Health Transformation Program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Overseen a 4% annual job growth since 2022, making it the 6th fastest state for employment growth in the nation.
Reached 100,000+ new post-pandemic jobs in 2023 alone, highlighting Nevada’s steady and ongoing job growth.
Significantly increased funding for workforce innovation programs and career and technical education programs through his landmark education legislation and historic education funding bills in 2023 and 2025.

Under Joe Lombardo, Nevada is ranked highly for its business environment and growth:

New data from the U-Haul Growth Index shows Nevada ranking as the No. 20 growth state in the nation, marking a 15-spot improvement from its No. 35 ranking in 2024 and signaling continued stabilization and renewed confidence in the Silver State.
A 2025 report, published by Area Development and in partnership with Chmura Economics & Analytics, names Nevada as one of the top states for business strengths in the US. “I think it speaks to the systemic business environment in the state of Nevada that is being promoted by Governor Lombardo,” said Tom Burns, Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
A new study based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data revealed that Nevada is the state with the largest increase in hourly pay in the nation.
WalletHub compared the 50 states across 25 key indicators of startup success to determine the most fertile grounds in which to launch and grow an enterprise. Nevada ranked in the top 10, coming in at seventh.
Nevada completes the top ten, processing nearly 1,900 business applications and operating over 4,400 companies. The state demonstrates 76% opportunity-driven entrepreneurship with a solid workforce employed in young companies.
Nevada has the highest startup success rate among all ranked states at 83%, while locals actively search for ways to start new businesses.

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