The Inner City 100 is a ranking of fast-growing, competitive companies located in America’s inner cities. In 1999, ICIC created the Inner City 100 program to change perceptions about inner city business. ICIC believes that companies can thrive in inner cities and that there are competitive advantages of doing business there, but needed evidence to prove this theory. We knew the Inner City 100 would validate our premise, but what we found was astonishing: thousands of thriving urban businesses serving regional, national, and international markets; generating valuable new jobs; and making an incalculable difference in their communities.
Led by some of today’s most creative entrepreneurs, the Inner City 100 has shown the nation how the advantages of inner cities, such as diverse workforces and strategic locations, can combine to create explosive growth. Their success over the past ten years has inspired political leaders, business leaders, academics and the media. The program has led to innovative investment programs, helped blaze a path for other inner city entrepreneurs, and provided enormous stimulus for change in their communities.
As a result of these fantastic innovators, the Inner City 100 has grown to become a national movement with the support of civic, community, business, and academic leaders from across the country.
With each year, the Inner City 100 has become stronger and more dynamic. In fact, the Inner City 100 is growing almost as fast as the companies represented; in the inaugural year the Inner City 100 received 219 nominations; in 2008, the pool of new nominations was estimated at 6,500.
For more information about Inner City 100 winners, see the numerated links above.
For more information about the Inner City 100 program, please contact innercity100@icic.org.
