Des Moines ranks as the 8th-best medium-sized city in the U.S. in which to launch a business, according to rankings released this week by Fortune Small Business magazine. Additionally, Dubuque ranks as the 8th-best small city; Waterloo as the 17th-best small city; and Ames as the 18th-best small city in which to launch a business.

“Location matters more than ever before,” states the print article in the November, 2009 issue. (The magazine has not yet updated its website with this article as of this writing, 10/10/09 12:15 p.m.)  “The Great Recession redrew the map of America. Entire town sank in the subprime mortgage crisis; capitals of finance and manufacturing were brought to their knees. And while the headlines heralded each new disaster, a quiter but equally important phenomenon was taking place. A handful of communities… were soldiering through the recession almost unscathed.”

Of course, the Des Moines area has seen troubling lay-offs among employers large and small, but the FSB ranking is not just based on changes in employee count. It looks at other factors which influence the business climate as well, including per capita income, hourly wages, workforce quality, crime rates, taxes and foreclosures.