Alaska

Alaska

Fairbanks

Population: 28,496
Labor force: 14,749
Startups per 1,000 people: N/A
Small business per 1,000 people: 77

What to know about starting up in Fairbanks:
"The primary industries are natural resource extraction and government spending. Almost all other business is meant to service these primary industries. The University of Alaska, the state's primary university, is located right in town. Fairbanks also hosts two major military facilities (one Army and one Air Force), which provide local employers with not only experienced and talented ex-military, but with a large crop of spouses and dependents who may be looking for work. IT infrastructure in Alaska is getting better, but it is not as robust as a major city in the Lower 48 and it is much more expensive."
-Matt Rogers, president, software developer Rogers Software