A study by personal finance site NerdWallet ranked Madison as the second-best city in the United States for young entrepreneurs, the organization announced this week.

The study analyzed access to funds, networking and mentorship, the local economy and affordability. Arlington, Va., edged Madison, partially for its higher percentage of population aged 25-34, with a study analyst implying the state’s brain drain as a factor.

“Madison scored quite well in all of the metrics we assessed,” NerdWallet Analyst Sreekar Jashti said. “Arlington has an extremely high young and educated population, but it’s possible that over the next few years as more young professionals continue moving to the Midwest, those numbers could increase in Madison as well.”

Madison was followed by Lincoln, Neb., and Minneapolis, giving the Midwest a strong showing.

“It was initially a bit surprising to see how many cities from the Midwest ranked so highly while West Coast and Northeast cities didn’t fare quite as well, but the results definitely make sense,” Jashti said. “Many of these cities, such as Madison or Lincoln, have very healthy local economies that have been on the rise and affordability is much higher compared to other major metro areas, which is important to young entrepreneurs looking to cut costs.”

Startup accelerator gener8tor also was mentioned in the study’s results.