Ten cities in Los Angeles County have been picked as finalists for the annual business-friendly city competition, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. announced Wednesday.

The LAEDC picked Baldwin Park, Glendale, Pico Rivera, Santa Monica and Whittier as finalists in the category of cities with at least 60,000 people. Commerce, Duarte, El Segundo, Glendora and La Mirada are finalists in the small city category.

One winner from each category will be announced at an awards banquet in November.

Of the 10 finalists, Baldwin Park, Glendora, Pico Rivera and Santa Monica are first-timers. Santa Monica’s finalist designation is somewhat surprising given its reputation as a high-cost city that has in the past tangled with various businesses or industries.

The LAEDC launched the most business-friendly city awards in 2006 to recognize cities that had done the most to promote business-friendly programs and services; El Segundo won that first year. Since then, finalists and winners have included the recognition in their marketing campaigns to bring more businesses to their cities.