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Panama City, FL Ranked #41 for Women Entrepreneurs

The metro area of Panama City, FL, was ranked #41 in a new report by data analysts from GoodCall.com as one of the best places in the U.S. for women entrepreneurs to launch a business. The report was launched in light of American Business Women’s Day (9/22), a nationally recognized holiday that honors American business women and women business owners across the country.

“As a chamber, our membership increases with business women every day. We understand the importance of empowering these women, which is why we host our annual Women’s Work-life Symposium. Featuring some of the most influential female speakers, this event helps women maintain a healthy work-life balance. It is a huge success, and we hope that it will continue to impact the growth of women entrepreneurs in our area,” says Katelyn French, Firector of Communications for the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce.

A total of 383 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) were evaluated on their ability to provide networking opportunities, a welcoming business climate for women, a bustling economy and a great baseline for female education. Data sources included the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent Survey of Business Owners to evaluate the networking potential (10% of the total score) and business climate (25%), and the bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey to weigh differences in male and female educational attainment (30%).

“Panama City, FL won the #41 position, outpacing other Florida metros in the top 100, including Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford and Tallahassee,” says GoodCall.com research analyst Claire Etheridge. “Several factors boosted Panama City up in the rankings, including robust educational values for women, a thriving post-recession economy and, of course, a high density of female business owners. Taken together, those factors elevated it above many other places in the country.”

Economic health information (35%) for the cities came from two sources – year-over-year change in an MSAs gross domestic product from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the current unemployment rate from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey’s 5-year estimates.

The report also features comments from successful women entrepreneurs around the country revealing what they love about owning a business in their city and the resources they’ve called on for success.

Read the full report regarding Panama City’s ranking including methodology and data sources here: https://www.goodcall.com/data-center/2016-best-places-women-entrepreneurs