Austin Ranks First in the Nation as the Best Place for Startups

Austin ranks first in the nation for the best place for startups, according to a new survey from Sungard Availability Services.

Austin claimed the top spot, followed by New York, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston.

The survey ranked the cities based on startup survival rates, graduate talent and density of entrepreneurs. It also ranked tech talent and affordability.

The survey found Austin’s high tech workforce accounts for 8.77 percent of the city’s jobs.

“Though the moniker ‘Silicon Hills’ may have had less traction for Austin’s City Fathers when they dreamt up the name in the 1990s, the fact remains that the capital of Texas is one of the most dynamic technology incubators in the world,” according to the report. “In our survey, Austin ranked 3rd in the percentage of workforce directly employed in a technology job. No wonder the city’s becoming a convincing alternative to Silicon Valley for both the venture capitalist and the engineering community.”