~ Colorado Springs ranked first among 100 metropolitan areas in Bluevine's 2026 Best Cities for Small Businesses study, with an overall score of 68.12, the company said.

Denver placed second with 66.47, followed by Raleigh, North Carolina, at 63.35. Mayor Yemi Mobolade announced the ranking Thursday at a press conference at Kinship Landing in downtown Colorado Springs.

Bluevine, a small-business banking platform, said it based the study on publicly available federal economic data and activity from its banking platform. The analysis assessed business survival, business formation, business costs and Bluevine banking data, weighted at 25%, 25%, 20% and 30%, respectively.

Researchers examined 100 metropolitan areas using data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Small Business Administration. Measures included business survival rates, new business applications, small-business density, SBA loan activity, regional costs and growth in banking activity, according to the company.

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Bluevine CEO and co-founder Eyal Lifshitz said Colorado Springs performed strongly in business growth and in the company's internal data, which he said showed rising account balances among local small businesses. He also noted that Colorado had three metropolitan areas—Colorado Springs, Denver and Greeley—in the study's top 15.

Mobolade said the recognition reflected the work of local entrepreneurs, whom he described as contributors to jobs, neighborhoods and the local economy.

The city works with organizations including the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, the Colorado Small Business Development Center serving the Pikes Peak region and Exponential Impact to connect businesses with resources and support development, the release said.

The city has also promoted tools including COS Open For Biz, Permit Partner and COS Business Navigator as part of efforts to simplify processes and help businesses navigate local government. Brandon Eldridge, executive director of the regional Small Business Development Center, said the ranking was an opportunity to recognize the area's entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them.

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