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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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.
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#36. Morrow County
– Total small business establishments: 197 (15.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 98.5%
– 2021 population: 12,358
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#35. Jefferson County
– Total small business establishments: 424 (16.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
– 2021 population: 25,122
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#34. Wheeler County
– Total small business establishments: 25 (17.2 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 89.3%
– 2021 population: 1,453
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#33. Polk County
– Total small business establishments: 1,560 (17.5 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 89,384
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#32. Columbia County
– Total small business establishments: 1,006 (18.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 53,229
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#31. Umatilla County
– Total small business establishments: 1,565 (19.5 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
– 2021 population: 80,154
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#30. Linn County
– Total small business establishments: 2,746 (21.1 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 129,948
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#29. Lake County
– Total small business establishments: 181 (21.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
– 2021 population: 8,285
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#28. Malheur County
– Total small business establishments: 697 (22.0 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
– 2021 population: 31,709
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#27. Klamath County
– Total small business establishments: 1,546 (22.0 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 70,255
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#26. Benton County
– Total small business establishments: 2,156 (22.4 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
– 2021 population: 96,277
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#25. Douglas County
– Total small business establishments: 2,627 (23.4 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 112,057
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#24. Josephine County
– Total small business establishments: 2,097 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 88,590
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#23. Crook County
– Total small business establishments: 611 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 25,753
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#22. Yamhill County
– Total small business establishments: 2,652 (24.5 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 108,436
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#21. Coos County
– Total small business establishments: 1,606 (24.7 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 65,119
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#20. Marion County
– Total small business establishments: 8,839 (25.4 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 347,775
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#19. Lane County
– Total small business establishments: 10,049 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 384,063
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#18. Wasco County
– Total small business establishments: 701 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
– 2021 population: 26,735
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#17. Tillamook County
– Total small business establishments: 739 (26.6 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
– 2021 population: 27,800
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#16. Washington County
– Total small business establishments: 16,036 (26.6 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
– 2021 population: 602,494
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#15. Harney County
– Total small business establishments: 207 (27.3 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 98.6%
– 2021 population: 7,590
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#14. Union County
– Total small business establishments: 755 (28.7 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
– 2021 population: 26,276
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#12. Clackamas County
– Total small business establishments: 12,346 (29.1 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 423,763
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#12. Jackson County
– Total small business establishments: 6,535 (29.1 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 224,327
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#11. Curry County
– Total small business establishments: 710 (29.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
– 2021 population: 23,720
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#10. Grant County
– Total small business establishments: 219 (30.1 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
– 2021 population: 7,288
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#9. Lincoln County
– Total small business establishments: 1,578 (30.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
– 2021 population: 51,026
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#8. Baker County
– Total small business establishments: 524 (31.1 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
– 2021 population: 16,873
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#7. Sherman County
– Total small business establishments: 61 (31.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 96.8%
– 2021 population: 1,912
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#6. Gilliam County
– Total small business establishments: 67 (33.3 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 97.1%
– 2021 population: 2,015
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#5. Multnomah County
– Total small business establishments: 27,596 (34.3 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
– 2021 population: 805,593
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#4. Clatsop County
– Total small business establishments: 1,554 (37.1 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
– 2021 population: 41,916
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#3. Deschutes County
– Total small business establishments: 8,201 (39.9 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
– 2021 population: 205,358
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#2. Hood River County
– Total small business establishments: 1,022 (42.4 per 1,000 residents)
– Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
– 2021 population: 24,094
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#1. 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
This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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Stacker is a news organization that produces and distributes data journalism to the world’s news organizations. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling. This article has been republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.