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1 / 50Alabama: Clarke County
- Total small business establishments: 593 (26.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 22,715
Business & Economy
The small business sector is alive 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 nationwide where small businesses abound, altLINE used Census Bureau data to find the county in each state 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. Population data for Connecticut counties were sourced via the Federal Reserve.
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—like Nantucket, Massachusetts; Maui, Hawaii; Aspen, Colorado; Key West, Florida; and Sedona, Arizona—are well represented on this list, 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 counties on this list do include a few major cities like Manhattan, Atlanta, and Charleston, South Carolina, less populated counties with smaller towns are much more common. In fact, 19 of the counties on this list have a population of less than 25,000. 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 county in your state with the highest concentration of small businesses. It just might give you inspiration for your next endeavor.
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2 / 50Alaska: Skagway
- Total small business establishments: 97 (84.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.0%
- 2021 population: 1,142
HildaWeges Photography // Shutterstock
3 / 50Arizona: Coconino County
- Total small business establishments: 3,832 (26.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 142,780
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4 / 50Arkansas: Pulaski County
- Total small business establishments: 12,269 (30.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 398,069
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5 / 50California: Mono County
- Total small business establishments: 658 (49.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 13,261
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6 / 50Colorado: Pitkin County
- Total small business establishments: 1,700 (98.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 17,350
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7 / 50Connecticut: Fairfield County
- Total small business establishments: 26,860 (28.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 959,768
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8 / 50Delaware: New Castle County
- Total small business establishments: 17,405 (30.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 572,714
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9 / 50Florida: Monroe County
- Total small business establishments: 4,009 (48.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 82,265
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10 / 50Georgia: Fulton County
- Total small business establishments: 40,442 (38.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 1,062,531
pikappa51 // Shutterstock
11 / 50Hawaii: Maui County
- Total small business establishments: 4,811 (29.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 164,817
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12 / 50Idaho: Blaine County
- Total small business establishments: 1,655 (66.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 24,767
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13 / 50Illinois: 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
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14 / 50Indiana: Dubois County
- Total small business establishments: 1,287 (29.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 43,625
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15 / 50Iowa: Dickinson County
- Total small business establishments: 788 (44.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 17,852
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16 / 50Kansas: Gove County
- Total small business establishments: 127 (46.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.4%
- 2021 population: 2,735
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17 / 50Kentucky: McCracken County
- Total small business establishments: 2,033 (30.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 67,612
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18 / 50Louisiana: 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
E.J.Johnson Photography // Shutterstock
19 / 50Maine: Knox County
- Total small business establishments: 1,802 (43.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 41,074
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20 / 50Maryland: Worcester County
- Total small business establishments: 2,184 (40.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 53,370
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21 / 50Massachusetts: Nantucket
- Total small business establishments: 1,195 (82.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 14,499
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22 / 50Michigan: Emmet County
- Total small business establishments: 1,524 (44.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 34,280
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23 / 50Minnesota: Cook County
- Total small business establishments: 287 (51.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
- 2021 population: 5,623
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24 / 50Mississippi: Lee County
- Total small business establishments: 2,531 (30.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 83,043
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25 / 50Missouri: Atchison County
- Total small business establishments: 180 (34.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 5,227
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26 / 50Montana: 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
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27 / 50Nebraska: Garfield County
- Total small business establishments: 101 (55.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.1%
- 2021 population: 1,832
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28 / 50Nevada: Douglas County
- Total small business establishments: 1,671 (33.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 49,969
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29 / 50New Hampshire: Carroll County
- Total small business establishments: 1,879 (36.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 51,725
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30 / 50New Jersey: Cape May County
- Total small business establishments: 3,761 (39.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 95,768
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31 / 50New Mexico: Lincoln County
- Total small business establishments: 678 (33.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 20,421
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32 / 50New York: Manhattan
- Total small business establishments: 95,564 (60.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 1,578,801
MarkVanDykePhotography // Shutterstock
33 / 50North Carolina: Dare County
- Total small business establishments: 1,999 (52.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 37,889
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34 / 50North Dakota: 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
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35 / 50Ohio: Holmes County
- Total small business establishments: 1,351 (30.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 44,374
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36 / 50Oklahoma: Woodward County
- Total small business establishments: 760 (37.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 20,216
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37 / 50Oregon: Wallowa County
- Total small business establishments: 362 (47.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 7,554
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38 / 50Pennsylvania: Montgomery County
- Total small business establishments: 26,469 (30.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 864,022
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39 / 50Rhode Island: Newport County
- Total small business establishments: 2,779 (32.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 85,662
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40 / 50South Carolina: Charleston County
- Total small business establishments: 14,818 (35.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 414,403
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41 / 50South Dakota: Sully County
- Total small business establishments: 71 (48.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 1,471
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42 / 50Tennessee: Williamson County
- Total small business establishments: 8,014 (31.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 256,209
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43 / 50Texas: Gillespie County
- Total small business establishments: 1,122 (41.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 27,282
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44 / 50Utah: Summit County
- Total small business establishments: 2,702 (62.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 43,168
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45 / 50Vermont: Lamoille County
- Total small business establishments: 955 (36.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 26,147
Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock
46 / 50Virginia: Fairfax County
- Total small business establishments: 1,994 (81.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 24,391
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47 / 50Washington: San Juan County
- Total small business establishments: 1,024 (55.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 18,615
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48 / 50West Virginia: Ohio County
- Total small business establishments: 1,283 (30.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 41,878
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49 / 50Wisconsin: Door County
- Total small business establishments: 1,291 (42.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 30,406
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50 / 50Wyoming: Teton County
- Total small business establishments: 2,341 (99.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 23,622
Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
