The Startup Ecosystem of United States

The United States has 252 cities in the top 1000 and has the best startup ecosystem in the world in 2023.

COUNTRY RANKING

The United States’s startup scene remains stable in 2023 on the 1st position, despite losing 5 cities in the global top 1000.

Population

333.4
Million

Regional Ranking

1st
0
In North America

Global Ranking

1st
0
Worldwide

Ecosystem

Startup Ecosystem Overview

brown and gray concrete buildings during daytime photo
Amidst constant change and periodic ups and downs in the economic and geo-political situation worldwide, one thing remains constant: the substantial global influence and dominance of the US startup ecosystem. When it comes to its startup environment, the US is still the land of opportunity, representing the world’s most vibrant source of free and disruptive technological creativity. The US version of the internet is global and open, in contrast to more closed systems forming in other parts of the world. The nation’s startup ecosystems are leveraged by foreign entrepreneurs who know that the US is the best place to scale and grow a global company. A substantial advantage for attracting foreign entrepreneurs and scaling globally is that English is a globally dominant language.


The US version of free-market capitalism focuses on profit and high risk tolerance, and provides startups with opportunities, funding, and support. This creates an ecosystem that is mainly based on the private sector without too much interference from the public sector. Such a market driven approach to startup development has resulted in the creation of the most successful startups in the world. And yet, faced with other countries becoming tech superpowers, the public sector is taking steps to maintain the nation’s unique position as the global tech leader. First, new laws are being legislated to support strategic industries. An example is the CHIPS Act of 2022 that will strengthen semiconductor manufacturing. Second, the US also recognizes the importance of attracting talent and is looking at introducing a new Visa Program for Immigrant Entrepreneurs as well as a Green Card Exemption For Ph.D.'s.

An example of how the US has supported a high-risk mindset can be found in the country’s flexible bankruptcy laws, which allow entrepreneurs to fail and start over easily. Compared to the financial and reputational consequences such failures have in many other countries, we can see why entrepreneurs are more likely to test new ideas in the US.


The top US startup ecosystems offer new companies everything they need: access to funding through a large network of VCs, angel investors, and mentorship in high quality accelerators. In addition, support organizations such as the MKEtech, Innovate Charlotte and SelectUSA connect entrepreneurs with the resources and information they require on the path to success. On top of this, MIT, Stanford and other leading universities provide cutting-edge science research and supply the ecosystem with top talent. These universities also act as an additional magnet for ambitious local and foreign students, who can then move on to build world-leading companies.


Historically, the US has not only been a leader in the output of its startup ecosystem, but is also leading the charts in terms of our business startup friendliness environment. This combination of results on the ground together with the best policies is a true ecosystem flywheel.


As long as the US maintains its mindset of entrepreneurship and risk taking, its ecosystems will continue to thrive and attract ambitious entrepreneurs from around the world.

Startups

United States Top Startup Industries

Ecommerce & Retail icon
Ecommerce & Retail
#1 worldwide

13293 startups

Edtech icon
Edtech
#1 worldwide

6415 startups

Energy & Environment icon
Energy & Environment
#1 worldwide

3973 startups

Ecosystem HealthCheck

United States Ecosystem Health Check

The health check tables allow you to look at the performance United States has in each of the parameters that are part of StartupBlink's ranking algorithm. There are five tables, corresponding to the three subscores, the subscore analysis and industry ana...

  • Overperformance
  • Performance equal to global ranking
  • Underperformance
ParameterParameter Global rankParameter rank change since 2022ResultContribution to total scoreRank gain / loss due to parameter
Total Score10198.08100%0
Quantity Score1028.21314.24%0
Sample size of startups10351589.72%0
Sample size of accelerators1011400.95%0
Sample size of coworking spaces1053232.65%0
Community Score79N/A0.0180.01%0

ECOSYSTEM

Browse the startup ecosystem database of United States

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Ecosystem

The Startup Ecosystem in United States

Our startup ecosystem map for The United States includes a sample of 38144 tech companies. We have identified as unicorns 618 startups that have passed the USD 1 billion valuations. Contributing to the vitality of this startup ecosystem are the 145 pantheon member entities.

Global Rank

The United States is ranked within the top 10 startup ecosystems globally.

Top Industries

The United States’s startup scene is best represented in Ecommerce & Retail, Edtech, and in Energy & and Environment.

Top Cities for Startups in United States - Ranked by StartupBlink
StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Rows:
2023 National Rank & Change ▲
2023 National Rank & Change City
search leaderboards icon
Global Rank & ChangeTotal Score
Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries
Quantity Score
Quality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
1st
0
546.427
00.00
00.00
00.00
2nd
0
2nd
0
223.407
00.00
00.00
00.00
3rd
0
4th
0
116.943
00.00
00.00
00.00
4th
0
5th
0
103.337
00.00
00.00
00.00
5th
0
12th
-
1
48.190
00.00
00.00
00.00
6th
0
15th
-
1
38.352
00.00
00.00
00.00
7th
0
18th
+
1
34.200
00.00
00.00
00.00
8th
0
21st
-
1
33.444
00.00
00.00
00.00
9th
0
22nd
-
1
33.148
00.00
00.00
00.00
10th
0
26th
0
29.255
00.00
00.00
00.00
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Startups

Notable Startups in United States
DuckDuckGo startup icon
DuckDuckGo
Medium startup icon
Medium
Foursquare startup icon
Foursquare

Startups

Successful Ecommerce & Retail startups in United States
Cruise Automation startup icon
Cruise Automation
Narvar startup icon
Narvar
Tropical Skoops startup icon
Tropical Skoops

Featured Startup Ecosystems

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