GoDaddy Reveals 2026 Most Entrepreneurial Cities; Zillow Spotlights the Real Estate Trends Fueling Their Growth
Rhea-AI Summary
Zillow (Nasdaq: Z) partnered with GoDaddy to provide housing insights for the 2026 Most Entrepreneurial Cities list, led by San Antonio. Zillow contributed data on typical home values, rents, and its Market Heat Index for each of the top 10 cities, highlighting how local housing conditions intersect with small-business growth.
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News Market Reaction – Z
In the Jun 30 session, Z gained 0.45%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +12.3% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 18 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23 | Product feature launch | Positive | +0.6% | Launch of personalized moving hub and new home-buying tools. |
| Jun 18 | Rental affordability report | Positive | +0.3% | Data showing higher share of affordable rental listings on platform. |
| Jun 16 | Home color analysis | Positive | +2.8% | Analysis linking interior paint colors to higher or lower offers. |
| Jun 15 | Starter home valuation report | Positive | +1.0% | Report on record number of cities with $1M+ starter homes. |
| Jun 11 | AI rentals product data | Positive | -3.6% | AI Assist shown to improve renter conversion metrics on platform. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent Zillow news items have typically led to modest positive price reactions, with one notable negative divergence on an AI-focused release.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
San Antonio Tops List, Sun Belt Represents Half of the Ranked Cities
The rankings reveal a continued shift: small business growth isn't concentrated in a handful of expected hubs. It's taking hold in cities of every size, from major metros to places that rarely make these lists. Building on last year's finding that size doesn't determine entrepreneurial success, the 2026 data shows that pattern deepening, with an even more geographically diverse mix rising to prominence. Factors driving entrepreneurship often include real estate costs, talent migration, tax incentives, and remote work flexibility.
"The footprint of American entrepreneurship is shifting deeper into non-traditional places," said Alexandra Rosen, GoDaddy's small business economist. "The idea that you need to be in a major coastal city to build something has evolved. Whether it's a traditional storefront with a digital presence or an online side hustle, entrepreneurs are sustaining momentum and showing there's growing opportunity in every part of the country."
What Zillow's Housing Insights Say About the Most Entrepreneurial Cities
The GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab created the 2026 list by determining the cities with the highest rate of business growth during the previous calendar year.
Zillow's data, including this year's home values, rent prices, and Market Heat Index, adds housing-market context for each breakout hub. For every Most Entrepreneurial City, Zillow details whether home values and rents sit above or below national averages, and whether a market favors buyers or sellers via the Market Heat Index.
"A thriving local economy and a thriving housing market tend to go hand in hand," says Zillow Chief Economist Mischa Fisher, "When housing is attainable and plentiful, entrepreneurs feel more confident putting down roots and businesses find it easier to attract and keep talent. The pandemic fundamentally changed where people want to live and work, and new energy flowed to markets outside of the traditional hotspots. The map of economic opportunity has been redrawn along with it."
Most Entrepreneurial | GoDaddy Small | Zillow Housing Market Data* | ||||
Rank | City | Growth | Number of | Typical Home | Typical Rent | Market Heat Index |
1 | 11 % | 9,232 | 50 – Neutral Market | |||
2 | 8 % | 36,565 | 38 – Buyer's Market | |||
3 | 8 % | 2,816 | 85 – Strong Seller's Market | |||
4 | 6 % | 1,029 | 54 – Neutral Market | |||
5 | 5 % | 4,399 | 67 – Seller's Market | |||
6 | 4 % | 757 | 59 – Seller's Market | |||
7 | 4 % | 1,073 | 77 – Strong Seller's Market | |||
8 | 4 % | 3,798 | 45 – Neutral Market | |||
9 | 3 % | 1,277 | 60 – Seller's Market | |||
10 | 3 % | 2,590 | 67 – Seller's Market | |||
*Zillow data provides insight into the housing market trends for these cities, however it did not factor into the rankings of the cities. The Most Entrepreneurial Cities list was determined by GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab data. |
Key Findings and Market Trends
San Antonio Emerges as the Nation's Top Entrepreneurial Hub
The Great Migration South: Founders Planting Roots in the Sun Belt
One small business founder in
The Surprising Standouts
Some cities in the top 10 demand a second look.
To learn more about the 2026 Most Entrepreneurial Cities, including additional city data, comprehensive interactive maps, Zillow housing insights, or to get more information on GoDaddy's Small Business Research Lab, visit godaddy/research.
About GoDaddy
GoDaddy, the world's largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company's AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy's expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.
About GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab
The GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab analyzes more than 20 million online businesses with a digital presence, defined by a unique domain and active website. Most of these businesses employ fewer than ten people, classifying them as microbusinesses. Since 2019, the program has surveyed more than 70,000 entrepreneurs, making it a leading source of data and insights on microbusiness trends. To learn more, visit godaddy/research.
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people.
As the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, Zillow connects hundreds of millions of consumers with innovative technology, trusted agents and loan officers, and seamless digital solutions. With industry-leading tools and resources, Zillow supercharges real estate professionals so they can grow their businesses and deliver exceptional client experiences. For renters and housing providers, Zillow offers not only a robust marketplace but a set of end-to-end products and services to streamline applications, leases, payments and more.
Zillow's ecosystem spans the entire home journey — from dreaming and shopping to renting, buying, selling and financing.
Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans®, Zillow Rentals®, Zillow® New Construction, Trulia®, StreetEasy®, Out East®, HotPads®, Follow Up Boss®, ShowingTime®, dotloop® and Zillow® Closing.
All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/). © 2026 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate.
Source: GoDaddy Inc.
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SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.