November 17, 2025 – New research from the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center has identified the New Orleans–Metairie Metro as #14 amongst America’s Top 20 Entrepreneurial Growth MSAs, ranking it among leading innovation hubs such as Austin, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Charlotte.
The study notes that top-performing regions share several characteristics: deep higher education networks, state and local policy environments that support entrepreneurship, and amenities that attract diverse populations. Specifically, across the Top 20 metros, regions average more than 15 universities – GNO has 13 – creating dense social and professional networks that fuel new company formation. New Orleans’ anchors, including Tulane, UNO, and a growing cluster of health, digital, and creative industries – play a major role in that strength, according to the report.