LEWISTON – The city also got a nod for its pro-business environment from Inc. Magazine.

The March issue of the business publication ranks the top 25 American cities to do business in. The rankings are divided among large, medium and small cities.

While Lewiston didn’t make the cut for the top 25 in the small city category, it did rank No. 39. Portland ranked 23rd in the medium-size category.

The ranking was decided largely on job growth. In its introduction, the magazine stated that current and historical job growth is the most objective indicator of a region’s economic vitality for entrepreneurs. It also acknowledged that about three-quarters of new jobs come from small businesses.

“A region showing strong job growth is in all likelihood a hotbed of entrepreneurship,” said the report.

The magazine looked at 250 regions as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to analyze employment growth trends. It looked at the annual average growth over the past three years and compared it with employment expansion in the first half versus the second half of the last decade.

About two-thirds of the ranking was determined by job growth. The remaining third was decided by a region’s mix and balance of industries.