This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana 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.
#52. Big Horn County
- Total small business establishments: 188 (14.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.9%
- 2021 population: 12,932
#51. Glacier County
- Total small business establishments: 230 (16.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.1%
- 2021 population: 13,743
#50. Carter County
- Total small business establishments: 25 (17.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 89.3%
- 2021 population: 1,410
#49. Blaine County
- Total small business establishments: 128 (18.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.0%
- 2021 population: 6,982
#48. Roosevelt County
- Total small business establishments: 207 (19.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.0%
- 2021 population: 10,808
#47. Garfield County
- Total small business establishments: 25 (20.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 86.2%
- 2021 population: 1,210
#46. Musselshell County
- Total small business establishments: 104 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.2%
- 2021 population: 4,912
#45. Rosebud County
- Total small business establishments: 180 (22.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 8,077
#44. Powell County
- Total small business establishments: 162 (23.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 7,012
#43. Chouteau County
- Total small business establishments: 145 (24.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.6%
- 2021 population: 5,916
#42. Broadwater County
- Total small business establishments: 181 (24.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.4%
- 2021 population: 7,323
#41. Mineral County
- Total small business establishments: 124 (25.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.6%
- 2021 population: 4,868
#40. Jefferson County
- Total small business establishments: 321 (25.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 12,472
#39. Prairie County
- Total small business establishments: 30 (27.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 90.9%
- 2021 population: 1,101
#38. Judith Basin County
- Total small business establishments: 56 (27.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.2%
- 2021 population: 2,052
#37. Stillwater County
- Total small business establishments: 250 (27.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 9,026
#36. Lake County
- Total small business establishments: 913 (28.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 32,075
#35. Cascade County
- Total small business establishments: 2,422 (28.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 84,498
#34. Pondera County
- Total small business establishments: 176 (29.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.9%
- 2021 population: 6,018
#33. Sanders County
- Total small business establishments: 382 (29.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.0%
- 2021 population: 12,975
#32. Wheatland County
- Total small business establishments: 61 (29.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 95.3%
- 2021 population: 2,045
#31. Hill County
- Total small business establishments: 492 (30.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 16,175
#30. Deer Lodge County
- Total small business establishments: 293 (30.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 9,506
#29. McCone County
- Total small business establishments: 53 (31.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.1%
- 2021 population: 1,711
#28. Lincoln County
- Total small business establishments: 644 (31.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 20,571
#27. Granite County
- Total small business establishments: 108 (32.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.2%
- 2021 population: 3,355
#26. Phillips County
- Total small business establishments: 136 (32.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 4,216
#25. Silver Bow County
- Total small business establishments: 1,155 (32.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 35,554
#24. Toole County
- Total small business establishments: 163 (32.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.2%
- 2021 population: 5,010
#23. Liberty County
- Total small business establishments: 65 (33.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 94.2%
- 2021 population: 1,934
#22. Lewis and Clark County
- Total small business establishments: 2,490 (34.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 72,503
#21. Yellowstone County
- Total small business establishments: 5,783 (34.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 167,397
#20. Dawson County
- Total small business establishments: 307 (34.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 8,866
#19. Valley County
- Total small business establishments: 262 (34.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 7,556
#18. Ravalli County
- Total small business establishments: 1,625 (35.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 46,125
#17. Teton County
- Total small business establishments: 222 (35.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 6,282
#16. Custer County
- Total small business establishments: 431 (36.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 11,971
#15. Fergus County
- Total small business establishments: 430 (37.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 11,609
#14. Carbon County
- Total small business establishments: 414 (38.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 10,862
#13. Missoula County
- Total small business establishments: 4,701 (39.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 119,806
#12. Meagher County
- Total small business establishments: 80 (40.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.6%
- 2021 population: 1,960
#11. Beaverhead County
- Total small business establishments: 391 (41.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 9,532
#10. Daniels County
- Total small business establishments: 70 (41.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 95.9%
- 2021 population: 1,669
#9. Powder River County
- Total small business establishments: 73 (42.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.3%
- 2021 population: 1,707
#8. Fallon County
- Total small business establishments: 128 (42.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 2,984
#7. Flathead County
- Total small business establishments: 4,735 (43.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 108,725
#6. Sheridan County
- Total small business establishments: 156 (43.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 3,569
#5. Madison County
- Total small business establishments: 394 (44.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 8,944
#4. Richland County
- Total small business establishments: 508 (44.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 11,342
#3. Sweet Grass County
- Total small business establishments: 178 (48.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.9%
- 2021 population: 3,705
#2. Park County
- Total small business establishments: 907 (51.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 17,531
#1. Gallatin County
- Total small business establishments: 6,471 (52.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 123,051
