Canva
1 / 50#50. Stark County
- Total small business establishments: 113 (21.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.1%
- 2021 population: 5,296
Illinois small businesses thrive in these counties
In 2021, the IRS received a whopping 5.4 million business applications—an all-time high since the U.S. government began tracking this data in 2004. The year with the second-highest number of new business applications? 2020. Today, small businesses employ nearly half of the nation's workers, according to a Chamber of Commerce report.
It's fair to say that the past few years have been banner years for small businesses, but what about regional differences? The business climate in a small town in Texas is likely not the same as a small town in Connecticut. The Chamber of Commerce report found that the Midwest was the most business-friendly region, thanks to the relatively low cost of living, well-educated workforce, and regulations lowering taxes and easing zoning restrictions for businesses.
Of course, the East and West coasts also have plenty to offer, from California's Silicon Valley and Hollywood studios to New York's financial hub to Massachusetts' prominence in the aerospace, defense, and information technology industries. A few states—including Delaware, Wyoming, and Nevada—even allow you to incorporate your business within their borders without ever setting foot there.
For even more specific data, let's take it a step further by analyzing counties. Are certain counties more friendly to small businesses than others? To pinpoint the areas where small businesses abound, altLINE used Census Bureau data to find the counties in Illinois with the highest concentration of small businesses in 2021, calculated as small establishments per 1,000 residents. Small establishments are defined as those with fewer than 500 employees. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents were excluded from the analysis, as well as counties for which the Census Bureau didn't have population estimates.
Another important factor to consider: States where nonresidents are allowed to incorporate businesses will also have a higher ratio of small businesses to residents since not all small businesses are actually operated by people living in that state.
Taking a close look at the type of counties that topped the list in each state also reveals some interesting trends. World-class vacation destinations are well represented on the lists of each state, perhaps because tourists are looking to get a sense of how the locals live through small businesses like restaurants, bakeries, bars, and boutiques.
While the top counties in each state do include a few major cities, less populated counties with smaller towns are much more common. Although most of the nation's small businesses are located in major metropolitan areas, those that are located in rural areas tend to be more stable—possibly due to loyalty from local residents or the absence of competition from large corporations.
Keep reading to discover the counties in Illinois with the highest concentration of small businesses, and see how it compares across 50 states. It just might give you inspiration for your next endeavor.
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten, writing by Annalise Mantz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
Kent Raney // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Rock Island County
- Total small business establishments: 3,053 (21.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 142,992
Canva
3 / 50#48. Hancock County
- Total small business establishments: 375 (21.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 17,388
Canva
4 / 50#47. Putnam County
- Total small business establishments: 121 (21.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.4%
- 2021 population: 5,596
Canva
5 / 50#46. Crawford County
- Total small business establishments: 406 (21.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.5%
- 2021 population: 18,691
Canva
6 / 50#45. Edwards County
- Total small business establishments: 133 (21.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.5%
- 2021 population: 6,086
Canva
7 / 50#44. Winnebago County
- Total small business establishments: 6,240 (22.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 283,559
Canva
8 / 50#43. Fayette County
- Total small business establishments: 474 (22.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 21,447
Kristen Prahl // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Schuyler County
- Total small business establishments: 151 (22.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.7%
- 2021 population: 6,822
Canva
10 / 50#41. Moultrie County
- Total small business establishments: 323 (22.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.8%
- 2021 population: 14,509
Roberto Galan // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Hamilton County
- Total small business establishments: 177 (22.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.3%
- 2021 population: 7,923
Canva
12 / 50#39. Grundy County
- Total small business establishments: 1,184 (22.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 52,929
Canva
13 / 50#38. Saline County
- Total small business establishments: 523 (22.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 23,348
Canva
14 / 50#37. Marion County
- Total small business establishments: 839 (22.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 37,378
Canva
15 / 50#36. Wayne County
- Total small business establishments: 359 (22.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 15,967
Canva
16 / 50#35. Macon County
- Total small business establishments: 2,319 (22.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 102,649
Canva
17 / 50#34. McDonough County
- Total small business establishments: 612 (22.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 26,848
Leigh Trail // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. DeWitt County
- Total small business establishments: 351 (22.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 15,379
Canva
19 / 50#32. Stephenson County
- Total small business establishments: 1,014 (23.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 44,071
Canva
20 / 50#31. Jackson County
- Total small business establishments: 1,219 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 52,666
Eddie J. Rodriquez // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Carroll County
- Total small business establishments: 363 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 15,674
Canva
22 / 50#29. Williamson County
- Total small business establishments: 1,553 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 66,943
Canva
23 / 50#28. LaSalle County
- Total small business establishments: 2,533 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 109,139
David Huffman // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Monroe County
- Total small business establishments: 816 (23.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 34,993
Canva
25 / 50#26. Iroquois County
- Total small business establishments: 626 (23.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 26,761
Canva
26 / 50#24. Jasper County
- Total small business establishments: 216 (23.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 9,204
Canva
27 / 50#24. Livingston County
- Total small business establishments: 839 (23.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 35,741
Canva
28 / 50#23. Will County
- Total small business establishments: 16,427 (23.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 697,985
Canva
29 / 50#22. Peoria County
- Total small business establishments: 4,231 (23.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 179,764
Henryk Sadura // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Pike County
- Total small business establishments: 345 (23.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 14,609
Roberto Galan // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Coles County
- Total small business establishments: 1,107 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 46,809
Samantha J. Darr // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Morgan County
- Total small business establishments: 774 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 32,599
Canva
33 / 50#18. Montgomery County
- Total small business establishments: 672 (23.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 28,154
Jason Patrick Ross // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Clinton County
- Total small business establishments: 889 (24.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 36,886
Canva
35 / 50#16. Jefferson County
- Total small business establishments: 891 (24.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 36,882
Canva
36 / 50#15. White County
- Total small business establishments: 339 (24.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 13,768
Canva
37 / 50#14. Sangamon County
- Total small business establishments: 4,816 (24.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 195,422
Canva
38 / 50#13. Clay County
- Total small business establishments: 325 (24.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.1%
- 2021 population: 13,154
Canva
39 / 50#12. Ford County
- Total small business establishments: 335 (24.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 13,491
Canva
40 / 50#11. Kane County
- Total small business establishments: 13,158 (25.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 516,183
Canva
41 / 50#10. McHenry County
- Total small business establishments: 8,031 (25.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 311,592
Canva
42 / 50#9. Cook County
- Total small business establishments: 134,273 (25.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 5,177,606
Canva
43 / 50#8. Washington County
- Total small business establishments: 363 (26.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.6%
- 2021 population: 13,651
Canva
44 / 50#7. Adams County
- Total small business establishments: 1,758 (27.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 65,146
Canva
45 / 50#6. Richland County
- Total small business establishments: 434 (27.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 15,685
Canva
46 / 50#5. Lake County
- Total small business establishments: 19,767 (27.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 712,160
Altosvic // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Douglas County
- Total small business establishments: 567 (28.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 19,740
Canva
48 / 50#3. Jo Daviess County
- Total small business establishments: 663 (30.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 21,932
Canva
49 / 50#2. Effingham County
- Total small business establishments: 1,249 (36.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 34,531
Canva
50 / 50#1. DuPage County
- Total small business establishments: 33,970 (36.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 926,448
