This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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.
#51. Sioux County
- Total small business establishments: 27 (7.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 90.0%
- 2021 population: 3,759
#50. Benson County
- Total small business establishments: 70 (12.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 94.6%
- 2021 population: 5,778
#49. Rolette County
- Total small business establishments: 198 (16.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.5%
- 2021 population: 12,086
#48. Oliver County
- Total small business establishments: 43 (23.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 91.5%
- 2021 population: 1,873
#47. McHenry County
- Total small business establishments: 136 (26.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 5,239
#46. Grand Forks County
- Total small business establishments: 1,895 (26.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 72,512
#45. McLean County
- Total small business establishments: 257 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 9,794
#44. Morton County
- Total small business establishments: 885 (26.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 33,560
#43. Ward County
- Total small business establishments: 1,978 (28.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 69,437
#42. Sargent County
- Total small business establishments: 110 (28.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.2%
- 2021 population: 3,819
#41. Mercer County
- Total small business establishments: 240 (28.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 8,330
#40. Stutsman County
- Total small business establishments: 631 (29.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 21,591
#39. Cass County
- Total small business establishments: 5,791 (30.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 189,293
#38. Eddy County
- Total small business establishments: 72 (31.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 96.0%
- 2021 population: 2,322
#37. Kidder County
- Total small business establishments: 74 (31.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 96.1%
- 2021 population: 2,361
#36. Richland County
- Total small business establishments: 521 (31.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 16,570
#35. Burleigh County
- Total small business establishments: 3,116 (31.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 98,967
#34. Sheridan County
- Total small business establishments: 40 (31.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 1,270
#33. Barnes County
- Total small business establishments: 346 (32.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 10,812
#32. Grant County
- Total small business establishments: 75 (32.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 96.2%
- 2021 population: 2,311
#31. Steele County
- Total small business establishments: 60 (33.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 1,798
#30. Burke County
- Total small business establishments: 73 (33.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.3%
- 2021 population: 2,173
#29. Logan County
- Total small business establishments: 64 (34.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.5%
- 2021 population: 1,882
#28. Walsh County
- Total small business establishments: 367 (35.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 10,479
#27. Traill County
- Total small business establishments: 283 (35.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.0%
- 2021 population: 7,990
#26. Stark County
- Total small business establishments: 1,181 (35.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 33,059
#25. Cavalier County
- Total small business establishments: 131 (35.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 3,664
#24. Griggs County
- Total small business establishments: 82 (35.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.6%
- 2021 population: 2,284
#23. Ransom County
- Total small business establishments: 205 (36.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 5,667
#22. LaMoure County
- Total small business establishments: 149 (36.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 4,095
#21. Emmons County
- Total small business establishments: 119 (36.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 3,262
#20. Divide County
- Total small business establishments: 80 (36.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 96.4%
- 2021 population: 2,191
#19. Pembina County
- Total small business establishments: 248 (36.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 6,775
#18. Ramsey County
- Total small business establishments: 429 (37.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 11,598
#17. Hettinger County
- Total small business establishments: 91 (37.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 2,422
#16. Towner County
- Total small business establishments: 82 (38.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.8%
- 2021 population: 2,133
#14. Mountrail County
- Total small business establishments: 374 (39.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 9,593
#14. Bottineau County
- Total small business establishments: 251 (39.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.4%
- 2021 population: 6,437
#13. Nelson County
- Total small business establishments: 119 (39.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.3%
- 2021 population: 3,044
#12. Golden Valley County
- Total small business establishments: 69 (39.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 95.8%
- 2021 population: 1,757
#11. Dickey County
- Total small business establishments: 194 (39.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 4,905
#10. McKenzie County
- Total small business establishments: 554 (40.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 13,851
#9. Foster County
- Total small business establishments: 135 (40.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.8%
- 2021 population: 3,362
#8. Pierce County
- Total small business establishments: 159 (40.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.1%
- 2021 population: 3,943
#7. Adams County
- Total small business establishments: 88 (40.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.8%
- 2021 population: 2,152
#6. Williams County
- Total small business establishments: 1,577 (41.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 38,487
#5. Wells County
- Total small business establishments: 166 (42.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.2%
- 2021 population: 3,905
#3. McIntosh County
- Total small business establishments: 113 (45.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.4%
- 2021 population: 2,506
#3. Renville County
- Total small business establishments: 102 (45.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 97.1%
- 2021 population: 2,262
#2. Dunn County
- Total small business establishments: 185 (46.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.9%
- 2021 population: 4,025
#1. Bowman County
- Total small business establishments: 152 (52.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 2,902
