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You Probably Shouldn't Start A Small Business In This US State

Analysis of Census data reveals the cities and states where small businesses are thriving — and where they aren't.

3 days ago · 10.7k reads ·

In 2024, the US sees an average of 430,000 new business applications every month — but small businesses are doing far better in some parts of the country than others.

Using small business data from the US Census, OnDeck identified the states, metropolitan areas and counties where small businesses are growing fastest. The latest available figures are from 2020 to 2021 and only businesses with fewer than 500 employees were analyzed.

Small businesses are thriving the most in Idaho, which saw an increase of 6.55 percent year-on-year. Delaware follows behind, with 5.55 percent growth.

While West Virginia saw zero small business growth over the period analyzed, there was only one state where the number of businesses actually fell: New York (-0.05 percent).

LaGrange, Georgia (19.85 percent), was the metropolitan area with the greatest increase in small businesses between 2020 and 2021.

When it comes to US counties, Sheridan County, Wyoming (21.51 percent), topped the list.

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Via OnDeck.