Best Cities to Start a Local Service Business in 2026, by Trade

Research · Markets

Tracy, CA, Palm Coast, FL and North Las Vegas, NV rank highest across trades: growing populations, a low review bar to compete, and room in the market.

Key findings

Across the trades we can measure, the best-scoring large cities to start a local service business are Tracy, CA, Palm Coast, FL, North Las Vegas, NV, Tuscaloosa, AL and Clovis, CA.
Best large city for a new cleaning company: Palm Coast, FL (score 92.9; population +19% since 2020, 31 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new electrician: Tuscaloosa, AL (score 92.7; population +8.2% since 2020, 6 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new general contractor: Georgetown, TX (score 97.6; population +47.5% since 2020, 8 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new HVAC contractor: Menifee, CA (score 89.9; population +13.4% since 2020, 45 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new landscaping company: Tracy, CA (score 89.4; population +7% since 2020, 15 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new plumber: Fayetteville, AR (score 94.5; population +8.8% since 2020, 13 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new roofing contractor: Henderson, NV (score 94.6; population +9.8% since 2020, 28 reviews for the local top quarter).
Best large city for a new tree service: Fort Worth, TX (score 81.5; population +9.1% since 2020, 81 reviews for the local top quarter).

Page One Partner Research · 9,666 businesses · Updated September 2026 · Methodology

Best large cities to start a local service business

Average opportunity score across the trades measured in each city (cities with 10+ measured trades).

By trade

Best cities for…

The top 15 large cities for each trade, with the numbers behind each rank.

Best city for each trade

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Trade	Cities ranked	Best city	Score	Population growth 2020–24	Reviews for top quarter	Businesses per 100k residents
Accountants & Tax	37	Orlando, FL	75.9	8.8%	22.5	3.3
Appraiser	156	Durham, NC	89.9	7.2%	2	3.6
Attorneys	300	Georgetown, TX	93.3	47.5%	20	18.7
Auto Repair & Detailing	303	Huntsville, AL	85.5	6.5%	118.5	32.1
Carpentry & Cabinets	236	Midland, TX	86.2	7.8%	9.5	7
Charters & Recreation	98	Raleigh, NC	84.9	7.3%	74	3
Chiropractors	113	Fort Worth, TX	83.6	9.1%	58	1.3
Cleaning Services	310	Palm Coast, FL	92.9	19%	31	10.3
Concrete, Masonry & Paving	273	Clovis, CA	88.4	6%	10	8.6
Damage Restoration	124	Fort Worth, TX	89.4	9.1%	46	2.6
Deck & Outdoor Living	43	Houston, TX	74.6	4%	61	0.9
Doctors & Clinics	301	Clovis, CA	93	6%	22	8.6
Drywall & Insulation	203	Washington, DC	85.5	4.7%	12.5	2.7
Electricians	313	Tuscaloosa, AL	92.7	8.2%	6	21.9
Excavation & Site Work	55	Houston, TX	83.3	4%	8	1.1
Fence Contractors	240	Washington, DC	90	4.7%	19	1.9
Flooring & Tile	275	Henderson, NV	88.7	9.8%	31	6.6
General Contractors	320	Georgetown, TX	97.6	47.5%	8	22.7
Handyman Services	305	Fayetteville, AR	94.3	8.8%	20	9.7
Home Builders	127	Fort Worth, TX	83.9	9.1%	17.5	2.4
Home Inspectors	185	Denton, TX	86.6	17.6%	42.8	6.6
HVAC Contractors	315	Menifee, CA	89.9	13.4%	45	15.4
Insurance Agencies	163	Glendale, AZ	78.6	3.7%	38	9.3
Interior Design & Architecture	147	Gilbert, AZ	87.9	7.2%	6.8	3.8
Junk Removal & Hauling	77	Fort Worth, TX	73.7	9.1%	116	3.3
Landscaping & Lawn Care	311	Tracy, CA	89.4	7%	14.5	13
Limo Service	123	Henderson, NV	97.5	9.8%	1	3.1
Locksmiths	138	Cary, NC	89.1	4.5%	53.5	5.5
Med Spas	28	Fort Worth, TX	85.2	9.1%	58.5	1.4
Moving Companies	117	Henderson, NV	91.7	9.8%	99.3	2.9
Painters	286	North Las Vegas, NV	95.8	12.6%	9	7.1
Pest Control	62	Seattle, WA	80.3	5.5%	110	2.3
Pet Services	278	Denton, TX	92.1	17.6%	128.5	8.4
Plumbers	299	Fayetteville, AR	94.5	8.8%	13	9.7
Podiatrists	123	Durham, NC	93.2	7.2%	11	3.3
Pool Contractors	197	Fontana, CA	80.8	4.4%	20	7.3
Pressure Washing & Exterior Cleaning	255	North Las Vegas, NV	93.2	12.6%	19	5.4
Property Maintenance	15	Phoenix, AZ	73.8	3.8%	15.8	0.7
Real Estate	316	Suffolk, VA	92.4	8.8%	20.5	29.1
Remodeling Contractors	155	Reno, NV	87.9	6.3%	21.8	4.3
Restaurants	78	Phoenix, AZ	86.6	3.8%	220	1.4
Roofing Contractors	313	Henderson, NV	94.6	9.8%	27.5	8.3
Salons & Beauty	290	Tuscaloosa, AL	86.9	8.2%	118	11.4
Self Storage	30	Oklahoma City, OK	77	4.4%	77	1.4
Siding & Gutters	100	San Antonio, TX	85.2	6.1%	37.3	2.5
Solar Installation	172	Cape Coral, FL	91.6	19.2%	2.8	6
Towing Services	259	Georgetown, TX	88	47.5%	43	10.9
Trailer Rental	21	Charlotte, NC	70	7.8%	103	1.2
Tree Services	149	Fort Worth, TX	81.5	9.1%	80.5	3.6
Waste Management	92	Raleigh, NC	77.3	7.3%	72.8	2.4
Welding & Metal Fabrication	165	Port St. Lucie, FL	94.1	25%	8.5	4.3
Windows, Doors & Garage Doors	275	Palm Bay, FL	88.2	18.2%	30	10.6

Best large cities overall

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City	State	Average score	Trades measured	Population growth 2020–24	Population (2024)
Tracy	CA	78.4	11	7%	100,136
Palm Coast	FL	76.4	11	19%	106,729
North Las Vegas	NV	73.9	27	12.6%	294,034
Tuscaloosa	AL	73	16	8.2%	114,288
Clovis	CA	72.2	25	6%	127,993
Fontana	CA	72	30	4.4%	218,455
Brownsville	TX	71.4	18	2.8%	191,967
Georgetown	TX	70.8	15	47.5%	101,344
New Haven	CT	70.6	23	6.4%	137,562
Elizabeth	NJ	70.6	19	2.7%	140,413
New Braunfels	TX	70	11	27%	116,477
Fort Worth	TX	69.7	50	9.1%	1,008,106
Henderson	NV	69.7	36	9.8%	350,039
Sioux Falls	SD	69.4	29	8.2%	209,289
Laredo	TX	69.4	28	2.3%	261,260
Ontario	CA	68.9	27	5.4%	185,285
Fargo	ND	68.2	24	8.2%	136,285
Elk Grove	CA	68.1	23	3.5%	182,797
Fayetteville	AR	67.8	19	8.8%	103,134
Washington	DC	66.7	42	4.7%	702,250
Jersey City	NJ	66.2	33	3.7%	302,824
Worcester	MA	66.1	31	4.4%	211,286
Rialto	CA	66.1	11	0.9%	104,918
Midland	TX	66	26	7.8%	143,687
Yuma	AZ	65.9	22	6.4%	103,559
North Charleston	SC	65.9	24	9%	126,005
Durham	NC	65.5	37	7.2%	301,870
Victorville	CA	65	19	4.5%	140,721
Moreno Valley	CA	64.9	25	2.4%	213,919
Mcallen	TX	64.9	22	4.5%	148,782
Lowell	MA	64.7	18	4%	120,418
Grand Prairie	TX	64.5	27	5.7%	207,331
Bridgeport	CT	64.3	25	2.6%	151,599
Reno	NV	64.3	40	6.3%	281,714
Surprise	AZ	64.1	19	16%	167,564
Newark	NJ	63.9	31	2.1%	317,303
San Antonio	TX	63.6	50	6.1%	1,526,656
Denton	TX	63	27	17.6%	165,998
Mckinney	TX	62.3	31	15.2%	227,526
Killeen	TX	62.3	22	4.5%	160,616
Oakland	CA	62.2	38	0.6%	443,554
Antioch	CA	62.1	16	2.7%	118,453
Detroit	MI	62	36	1.1%	645,705
Palm Bay	FL	62	25	18.2%	142,023
Seattle	WA	62	48	5.5%	780,995
Providence	RI	61.9	28	2%	194,706
Santa Clarita	CA	61.8	14	-1.4%	229,159
Santa Clara	CA	61.5	28	3.5%	133,132
Hartford	CT	61.1	18	1.4%	122,129
Odessa	TX	61	22	4.2%	119,748

Answers

Questions this research answers

What is the best city for a new cleaning company?

By Page One Partner Research's opportunity score (population growth, the review count needed to compete, and businesses per resident), Palm Coast, FL ranks first among 310 cities of 100,000+ residents (September 2026). The full top 15 is on the trade's page.

What is the best city for a new electrician?

By Page One Partner Research's opportunity score (population growth, the review count needed to compete, and businesses per resident), Tuscaloosa, AL ranks first among 313 cities of 100,000+ residents (September 2026). The full top 15 is on the trade's page.

What is the best city for a new general contractor?

By Page One Partner Research's opportunity score (population growth, the review count needed to compete, and businesses per resident), Georgetown, TX ranks first among 320 cities of 100,000+ residents (September 2026). The full top 15 is on the trade's page.

What is the best city for a new HVAC contractor?

By Page One Partner Research's opportunity score (population growth, the review count needed to compete, and businesses per resident), Menifee, CA ranks first among 315 cities of 100,000+ residents (September 2026). The full top 15 is on the trade's page.

What is the best city for a new landscaping company?

By Page One Partner Research's opportunity score (population growth, the review count needed to compete, and businesses per resident), Tracy, CA ranks first among 311 cities of 100,000+ residents (September 2026). The full top 15 is on the trade's page.

What is the best city for a new plumber?

By Page One Partner Research's opportunity score (population growth, the review count needed to compete, and businesses per resident), Fayetteville, AR ranks first among 299 cities of 100,000+ residents (September 2026). The full top 15 is on the trade's page.

How is the best-cities score calculated?

Equal-weighted percentile ranks of three measures within each trade: population growth 2020–2024 (Census), the Google review count needed to reach the local top quarter, and listed businesses per 100,000 residents. It does not include demand, prices or licensing, so use it to shortlist, not to decide.

Methodology

How we measured it

Scope: every figure here describes businesses listed in the Page One Partner directory, not every business in the United States. Counts are businesses in our directory, not totals for a trade, state or city; percentages and benchmarks describe our listings and can differ from the whole market.

Source: the Page One Partner directory, 1,716,114 U.S. local service business listings (all 50 states and Washington, D.C.), each built from the business's public Google Business Profile and public business records. Listings held back by our quality checks (a phone number from another state, a map pin far from the stated city, a Google match that belonged to a different business) are excluded.

Trades: each business is filed under one trade from its Google category. Only trades with at least 1,000 listings are reported, and rating figures use trades with at least 200 businesses carrying 10 or more reviews.

Population: U.S. Census Bureau city and town population estimates (Vintage 2024, public domain). Only cities with at least 100,000 residents are ranked (321 cities), and only markets with at least 10 listed businesses in the trade (9,666 city-and-trade markets).

Opportunity score (0–100): the average of three percentile ranks among the ranked cities for that trade: population growth from 2020 to 2024 (faster = higher), the Google review count needed to reach the local top quarter (lower = higher), and listed businesses per 100,000 residents (fewer = higher). Equal weights; no demand, price or licensing data.

Coverage: listings for each trade were collected from that trade's 400 largest U.S. cities, so coverage is thorough in those cities and partial elsewhere. Every city in this ranking has 100,000+ residents, which places it inside those markets.

Important limit: a business's city is its postal city, which can cover more ground than the city limits the Census counts (many unincorporated addresses use the name of a nearby city). Cities whose postal name covers a wide area look more crowded per resident than they are, and their suburbs look less crowded. Treat the per-resident figure as indicative and read the review bar and growth alongside it.

Figures are aggregates. Page One Partner does not publish business-level rows from this research. The aggregate tables are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit "Page One Partner Research" with a link to the study.

Recomputed weekly from the live directory; this edition was computed in September 2026. Small shifts between editions are expected as businesses are added and ratings change.

Cite this study

Page One Partner Research. "Best cities to start a local service business." September 2026. https://pageonepartner.com/research/best-cities/

Link to it

<a href="https://pageonepartner.com/research/best-cities/">Page One Partner Research: Best cities to start a local service business</a>

Press and data questions: info@pageoneinsights.com

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