This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
North Carolina 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 Carolina 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 Carolina 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.
#50. Davie County
- Total small business establishments: 859 (19.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 43,614
#49. Alamance County
- Total small business establishments: 3,484 (20.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 173,876
#48. Graham County
- Total small business establishments: 161 (20.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
- 2021 population: 8,008
#47. Vance County
- Total small business establishments: 847 (20.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 42,103
#46. Chatham County
- Total small business establishments: 1,580 (20.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 78,111
#44. Pender County
- Total small business establishments: 1,278 (20.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 63,072
#44. Washington County
- Total small business establishments: 221 (20.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.7%
- 2021 population: 10,909
#43. Ashe County
- Total small business establishments: 547 (20.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 26,764
#42. Cherokee County
- Total small business establishments: 606 (20.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 29,195
#41. Lincoln County
- Total small business establishments: 1,906 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 89,870
#40. Cabarrus County
- Total small business establishments: 4,957 (21.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 231,726
#39. Lenoir County
- Total small business establishments: 1,173 (21.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 54,693
#38. Pitt County
- Total small business establishments: 3,712 (21.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 172,273
#37. Lee County
- Total small business establishments: 1,384 (21.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 64,097
#36. Hertford County
- Total small business establishments: 461 (21.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 21,172
#35. Craven County
- Total small business establishments: 2,184 (21.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 100,277
#34. Nash County
- Total small business establishments: 2,079 (21.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 95,227
#32. Stanly County
- Total small business establishments: 1,386 (22.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 63,108
#32. Union County
- Total small business establishments: 5,363 (22.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 244,260
#31. Orange County
- Total small business establishments: 3,325 (22.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 148,610
#30. Pasquotank County
- Total small business establishments: 916 (22.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 40,746
#29. Surry County
- Total small business establishments: 1,620 (22.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 71,196
#28. Forsyth County
- Total small business establishments: 8,801 (22.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 386,172
#27. Wilson County
- Total small business establishments: 1,807 (23.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 78,283
#26. Moore County
- Total small business establishments: 2,383 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 102,952
#25. Haywood County
- Total small business establishments: 1,449 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 62,504
#24. Currituck County
- Total small business establishments: 690 (23.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 29,714
#23. Alleghany County
- Total small business establishments: 258 (23.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 11,066
#22. Polk County
- Total small business establishments: 466 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 19,691
#21. Durham County
- Total small business establishments: 7,873 (23.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 329,699
#20. Jackson County
- Total small business establishments: 1,033 (24.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 42,520
#19. Beaufort County
- Total small business establishments: 1,095 (24.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 44,438
#18. Mitchell County
- Total small business establishments: 374 (25.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 14,982
#17. Henderson County
- Total small business establishments: 2,942 (25.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 116,988
#16. Chowan County
- Total small business establishments: 356 (25.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 13,791
#15. Guilford County
- Total small business establishments: 14,052 (25.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 542,756
#14. Catawba County
- Total small business establishments: 4,243 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 161,821
#13. Iredell County
- Total small business establishments: 5,173 (26.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 192,227
#12. Wake County
- Total small business establishments: 31,955 (27.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 1,152,357
#11. Transylvania County
- Total small business establishments: 930 (28.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 33,255
#10. Swain County
- Total small business establishments: 396 (28.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
- 2021 population: 14,149
#9. Avery County
- Total small business establishments: 508 (29.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
- 2021 population: 17,502
#8. Watauga County
- Total small business establishments: 1,675 (30.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 54,962
#7. Carteret County
- Total small business establishments: 2,106 (30.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 68,718
#6. Mecklenburg County
- Total small business establishments: 34,951 (31.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 1,125,809
#5. Hyde County
- Total small business establishments: 146 (31.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 98.6%
- 2021 population: 4,625
#4. Macon County
- Total small business establishments: 1,212 (32.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 37,488
#3. Buncombe County
- Total small business establishments: 9,389 (34.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 271,719
#2. New Hanover County
- Total small business establishments: 8,173 (35.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 229,930
#1. 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
