This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Louisiana small businesses thrive in these parishes
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 parishes. Are certain parishes more friendly to small businesses than others? To pinpoint the areas where small businesses abound, altLINE used Census Bureau data to find the parishes in Louisiana 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. Parishes with fewer than 1,000 residents were excluded from the analysis, as well as parishes 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 parishes in Louisiana 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.
#50. De Soto Parish
- Total small business establishments: 429 (15.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 26,934
#49. Jackson Parish
- Total small business establishments: 239 (16.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 14,922
#48. Bienville Parish
- Total small business establishments: 210 (16.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 12,800
#47. Union Parish
- Total small business establishments: 347 (16.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 20,996
#46. St. James Parish
- Total small business establishments: 330 (16.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 19,790
#45. Red River Parish
- Total small business establishments: 125 (16.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 7,490
#44. Pointe Coupee Parish
- Total small business establishments: 343 (16.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 20,323
#43. Beauregard Parish
- Total small business establishments: 619 (16.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 36,619
#42. Vermilion Parish
- Total small business establishments: 966 (17.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 56,854
#41. West Carroll Parish
- Total small business establishments: 164 (17.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.8%
- 2021 population: 9,596
#39. Morehouse Parish
- Total small business establishments: 429 (17.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 25,000
#39. St. John the Baptist Parish
- Total small business establishments: 721 (17.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 42,021
#38. Lafourche Parish
- Total small business establishments: 1,692 (17.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 97,537
#37. Caldwell Parish
- Total small business establishments: 167 (17.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.8%
- 2021 population: 9,593
#36. Avoyelles Parish
- Total small business establishments: 687 (17.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 39,265
#35. St. Martin Parish
- Total small business establishments: 935 (18.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 51,573
#34. Madison Parish
- Total small business establishments: 180 (18.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 9,804
#33. Iberville Parish
- Total small business establishments: 546 (18.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.1%
- 2021 population: 29,713
#32. St. Charles Parish
- Total small business establishments: 978 (18.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 52,405
#31. Concordia Parish
- Total small business establishments: 349 (19.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 18,373
#30. St. Landry Parish
- Total small business establishments: 1,569 (19.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 82,283
#29. Tangipahoa Parish
- Total small business establishments: 2,593 (19.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 135,508
#28. Catahoula Parish
- Total small business establishments: 170 (19.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.8%
- 2021 population: 8,712
#27. Ascension Parish
- Total small business establishments: 2,525 (19.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 128,502
#26. Acadia Parish
- Total small business establishments: 1,129 (19.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 57,262
#25. Bossier Parish
- Total small business establishments: 2,573 (19.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 129,402
#24. Winn Parish
- Total small business establishments: 272 (20.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 13,507
#23. Jefferson Davis Parish
- Total small business establishments: 653 (20.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 32,413
#22. Franklin Parish
- Total small business establishments: 402 (20.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 19,593
#21. West Baton Rouge Parish
- Total small business establishments: 581 (20.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 27,805
#20. Sabine Parish
- Total small business establishments: 467 (21.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 22,098
#19. Webster Parish
- Total small business establishments: 764 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 36,024
#18. Richland Parish
- Total small business establishments: 422 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 19,890
#17. Iberia Parish
- Total small business establishments: 1,490 (21.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 69,298
#16. Natchitoches Parish
- Total small business establishments: 805 (21.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 36,995
#15. Calcasieu Parish
- Total small business establishments: 4,641 (22.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 205,095
#14. St. Mary Parish
- Total small business establishments: 1,094 (22.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 48,188
#13. LaSalle Parish
- Total small business establishments: 348 (23.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 14,793
#12. Lincoln Parish
- Total small business establishments: 1,140 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 48,153
#11. Rapides Parish
- Total small business establishments: 3,127 (24.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 128,748
#10. Terrebonne Parish
- Total small business establishments: 2,658 (24.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 109,013
#9. Cameron Parish
- Total small business establishments: 126 (24.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 96.2%
- 2021 population: 5,099
#8. St. Tammany Parish
- Total small business establishments: 6,801 (25.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 270,087
#7. Caddo Parish
- Total small business establishments: 6,027 (25.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 232,741
#6. New Orleans
- Total small business establishments: 9,882 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 377,063
#5. Ouachita Parish
- Total small business establishments: 4,203 (26.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 158,919
#4. Jefferson Parish
- Total small business establishments: 11,768 (27.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 433,929
#3. Plaquemines Parish
- Total small business establishments: 634 (27.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 23,284
#2. East Baton Rouge Parish
- Total small business establishments: 12,525 (27.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 453,653
#1. Lafayette Parish
- Total small business establishments: 8,664 (35.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 244,922
