Laredo Ranks No. 10 for Hispanic Entrepreneurs, Best Outside Florida

Laredo ranked 10th in WalletHub's 2026 study of the Best Cities for Hispanic Entrepreneurs, making it the highest-ranked city outside Florida and the top performer in Texas. The border city tied for first nationally in share of Hispanic-owned businesses at 61.82%.

WalletHub ranked 182 of the most populated U.S. cities across 23 metrics in two categories: Hispanic business-friendliness (60% of the total score) and Hispanic purchasing power (40%). Nine Florida cities finished ahead of Laredo, led by Pembroke Pines in first place, followed by Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Miami, Hialeah, Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Tampa and Jacksonville.

"In the top cities for Hispanic entrepreneurs, as many as 30% of businesses are owned by Hispanic people," WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. "While these cities also tend to have large Hispanic populations overall, the high entrepreneurship rates indicate that they offer business-friendly conditions. In the top cities, Hispanic entrepreneurs can enjoy low corporate tax rates and good opportunities for growth. Plus, a large Hispanic population can be especially helpful for entrepreneurs who want to cater to that demographic."

Where does Laredo excel?

Laredo finished 17th in Hispanic business-friendliness. Its standout results in that category include:

• Tied for first in share of Hispanic-owned businesses (61.82%).
• Ninth in small-business loans per total number of small businesses.
• 14th in the entrepreneurial activity index.
• 16th in Hispanic entrepreneurship rate.
• 41st for presence of a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
• 61st in five-year business survival rate (53.7%).

The weaknesses were sharp. Laredo ranked last among all 182 cities in industry variety at No. 181. It also landed in the bottom half for average growth of Hispanic business revenues (133rd, -11.65%), corporate tax rank (155th) and significant startups per capita (168th).

How strong is the city's Hispanic purchasing power?

Laredo ranked 21st in Hispanic purchasing power, the best mark among the overall top 10. The Florida cities ranged from Cape Coral at No. 25 to Miami at No. 126.

Its leading metrics in the category:

• No. 2 for share of Hispanic residents (95.07%).
• No. 7 for Hispanic housing tenure, a renter-to-owner ratio, at 0.56.
• 14th in housing affordability for Hispanics.
• 45th in affordability.
• 81st in Hispanic unemployment rate (5.5%).

The soft spots sat mostly on the income side. Laredo ranked 97th in income growth for Hispanics (35.68%), 100th in Hispanic job security, 100th in share of Hispanics with at least a bachelor's degree (21%), 106th in share of Hispanic households earning above $75,000 (42.18%) and 159th in Hispanic population growth (-0.9%).

How did the rest of Texas fare?

Corpus Christi followed Laredo as the next-highest Texas city at No. 17. Brownsville came in at No. 23, El Paso at No. 26, Fort Worth at No. 34, San Antonio at No. 38, Amarillo at No. 39, Austin at No. 41, Arlington at No. 43 and Grand Prairie at No. 45.

Dallas (No. 54), Irving (No. 55), Houston (No. 79), Plano (No. 80) and Garland (No. 85) all placed in the top half. Lubbock was the only Texas city in the bottom half at No. 140.

The bottom 10 nationwide was dominated by Northeast and Midwest cities:

• Bridgeport, Connecticut (No. 173)
• New Haven, Connecticut (No. 174)
• Providence, Rhode Island (No. 175)
• Detroit, Michigan (No. 176)
• Cleveland, Ohio (No. 177)
• Worcester, Massachusetts (No. 178)
• Boston, Massachusetts (No. 179)
• Rochester, New York (No. 180)
• Bismarck, North Dakota (No. 181)
• Buffalo, New York (No. 182)

The top eight cities in the overall ranking all finished within the top eight for Hispanic business-friendliness, while Jacksonville took No. 12 and Laredo No. 17. Laredo's purchasing-power edge — No. 21 against a Florida range of No. 25 to No. 126 — is what carried it into the top 10 despite the last-place finish in industry variety.