In September, data released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that national startup growth is continuing to decline. Missouri, however, is bucking that trend, with three cities in the top five U.S. metro areas with the fastest-growing rate of new startups. The Springfield metro area is ranked No. 4 in the nation, with 2% growth in the startup share of new businesses from 2009-2014. This ranking is another demonstration that Springfield’s efforts to promote and invest in entrepreneurship are paying off.

View story as reported by Forbes Magazine here.