Canva
1 / 50#50. Fond du Lac County
- Total small business establishments: 2,256 (21.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 104,166
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.
Canva
2 / 50#49. Buffalo County
- Total small business establishments: 289 (21.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.0%
- 2021 population: 13,312
Canva
3 / 50#48. Shawano County
- Total small business establishments: 888 (21.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 40,812
Canva
4 / 50#47. Milwaukee County
- Total small business establishments: 20,144 (21.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 924,207
Canva
5 / 50#46. Kewaunee County
- Total small business establishments: 451 (21.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 20,577
Emmy_ann // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Rusk County
- Total small business establishments: 313 (22.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 14,116
ehrlif // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Florence County
- Total small business establishments: 102 (22.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 4,586
Suzanne Tucker // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Waupaca County
- Total small business establishments: 1,168 (22.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 51,992
Canva
9 / 50#42. Sheboygan County
- Total small business establishments: 2,654 (22.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 117,697
Canva
10 / 50#41. Grant County
- Total small business establishments: 1,171 (22.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 51,285
Canva
11 / 50#40. Douglas County
- Total small business establishments: 1,013 (23.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 44,026
Canva
12 / 50#39. Iowa County
- Total small business establishments: 554 (23.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 23,777
spiritbridge // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Jefferson County
- Total small business establishments: 2,002 (23.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 85,796
John Touscany // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Wood County
- Total small business establishments: 1,733 (23.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 74,085
Canva
15 / 50#36. Crawford County
- Total small business establishments: 378 (23.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 16,082
Canva
16 / 50#35. Taylor County
- Total small business establishments: 470 (23.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 19,944
Canva
17 / 50#34. Lincoln County
- Total small business establishments: 671 (23.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 28,453
Maarten Daams // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Green Lake County
- Total small business establishments: 454 (23.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 19,249
Canva
19 / 50#32. Burnett County
- Total small business establishments: 400 (23.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 16,759
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Forest County
- Total small business establishments: 222 (24.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 9,262
Canva
21 / 50#30. Portage County
- Total small business establishments: 1,678 (24.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 69,429
Canva
22 / 50#29. Washington County
- Total small business establishments: 3,324 (24.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 137,237
Canva
23 / 50#28. Columbia County
- Total small business establishments: 1,418 (24.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 58,404
Canva
24 / 50#27. Brown County
- Total small business establishments: 6,551 (24.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 268,814
Canva
25 / 50#25. Chippewa County
- Total small business establishments: 1,628 (24.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 66,628
Canva
26 / 50#25. Marathon County
- Total small business establishments: 3,365 (24.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 137,746
Canva
27 / 50#24. St. Croix County
- Total small business establishments: 2,349 (24.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 95,055
Canva
28 / 50#23. Marinette County
- Total small business establishments: 1,039 (24.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 41,849
Canva
29 / 50#22. Eau Claire County
- Total small business establishments: 2,652 (25.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 105,988
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Polk County
- Total small business establishments: 1,147 (25.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 45,521
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Dane County
- Total small business establishments: 14,347 (25.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 561,724
Canva
32 / 50#19. La Crosse County
- Total small business establishments: 3,089 (25.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 119,367
Brent Kelley // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Price County
- Total small business establishments: 370 (26.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 14,055
Canva
34 / 50#17. Walworth County
- Total small business establishments: 2,774 (26.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 105,200
Canva
35 / 50#16. Green County
- Total small business establishments: 988 (26.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 37,018
Canva
36 / 50#15. Outagamie County
- Total small business establishments: 5,145 (26.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 191,309
Canva
37 / 50#14. Bayfield County
- Total small business establishments: 442 (27.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.1%
- 2021 population: 16,304
Canva
38 / 50#13. Sauk County
- Total small business establishments: 1,812 (27.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 65,740
Henryk Sadura // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Langlade County
- Total small business establishments: 544 (27.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 19,505
B View // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Iron County
- Total small business establishments: 178 (28.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 6,193
Canva
41 / 50#10. Barron County
- Total small business establishments: 1,349 (28.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 46,746
Maarten Daams // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Pepin County
- Total small business establishments: 216 (29.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 7,386
Canva
43 / 50#8. Ashland County
- Total small business establishments: 474 (29.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 16,054
James Meyer // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Ozaukee County
- Total small business establishments: 2,796 (30.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 92,551
Canva
45 / 50#6. Washburn County
- Total small business establishments: 515 (30.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 16,760
Canva
46 / 50#5. Waukesha County
- Total small business establishments: 12,677 (31.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 409,080
Canva
47 / 50#4. Sawyer County
- Total small business establishments: 632 (34.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 18,247
Keith Bell // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Oneida County
- Total small business establishments: 1,371 (35.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 38,282
Canva
49 / 50#2. Vilas County
- Total small business establishments: 977 (41.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 23,522
Canva
50 / 50#1. 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
