Bend is one of six small cities in the U.S. that ranked highest of all 1,334 cities for the most startups per capita. - TheStreet, 2023
Through its Venture Catalyst program, EDCO supports early-stage entrepreneurs and scalable startups. The organization provides mentorship, strategic planning guidance, advice on access to capital, and exposure to investor networks. Signature events, such as the Bend Venture Conference and PubTalk, are central in this effort. EDCO plays a key role in fostering a robust startup ecosystem in Central Oregon. A driving force for our economic performance is a collaborative and inclusive entrepreneurial community. According to 2023 SmartAsset data, 28.96% of Deschutes County residents have small business incomes, and independent businesses generate about 13.02% of the income for the county. Both Redmond and Bend made WalletHub’s 2025 Top 30 list for best small cities to start a business at #7 and #8 respectively, based on an index of criteria that included business environment, access to resources and business costs. They were the only two Oregon cities to make it in the top 500 of 1,334 small cities ranked in the index. BEST SMALL CITIES FOR STARTING A BUSINESS National Rank Business Environment Rank St. George, UT 1 2 Fort Myers, FL 2 69 Cedar City, UT 3 4 Bend, OR 7 1 Redmond, OR 8 3 Source: WalletHub, 2025
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