Skip to main content
Mostly Clear icon
77º

💲 Florida small businesses thrive in these counties

Small businesses employ nearly half of the nation’s workers

(Canva)

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.

Recommended Videos



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.

Black Men Sundays talks about building generational wealth. Check out every episode in the media player below:

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 Florida 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 Florida 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

#50. Santa Rosa County

- Total small business establishments: 3,209 (16.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 193,783

Studio952 // Shutterstock

#49. Hendry County

- Total small business establishments: 681 (16.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 40,212

Terry Kelly // Shutterstock

#48. Washington County

- Total small business establishments: 426 (17.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 24,877

Canva

#47. Putnam County

- Total small business establishments: 1,276 (17.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 74,059

Canva

#46. Madison County

- Total small business establishments: 314 (17.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 18,069

Canva

#45. Polk County

- Total small business establishments: 13,130 (17.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 755,179

Canva

#44. Jackson County

- Total small business establishments: 823 (17.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
- 2021 population: 47,154

Canva

#43. Hernando County

- Total small business establishments: 3,657 (18.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 200,649

Canva

#42. Citrus County

- Total small business establishments: 2,895 (18.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 158,113

Canva

#41. Levy County

- Total small business establishments: 810 (18.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 44,158

Canva

#40. Pasco County

- Total small business establishments: 11,112 (19.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 584,927

Canva

#39. Osceola County

- Total small business establishments: 7,707 (19.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 404,020

JFFC // Shutterstock

#38. Clay County

- Total small business establishments: 4,263 (19.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 222,533

Canva

#37. Taylor County

- Total small business establishments: 403 (19.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 20,786

Canva

#36. Jefferson County

- Total small business establishments: 282 (19.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 14,476

Canva

#35. St. Lucie County

- Total small business establishments: 6,750 (19.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 344,283

Canva

#34. Highlands County

- Total small business establishments: 2,043 (19.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 103,295

Canva

#33. Marion County

- Total small business establishments: 7,801 (20.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 385,084

Canva

#32. Flagler County

- Total small business establishments: 2,484 (20.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 120,904

Canva

#31. Columbia County

- Total small business establishments: 1,452 (20.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 69,902

Canva

#30. Lake County

- Total small business establishments: 8,333 (21.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 396,242

Canva

#29. Okeechobee County

- Total small business establishments: 868 (21.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 40,044

Canva

#28. Nassau County

- Total small business establishments: 2,071 (21.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 94,393

Canva

#27. Charlotte County

- Total small business establishments: 4,308 (22.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 194,934

Canva

#26. Escambia County

- Total small business establishments: 7,399 (22.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 323,480

Canva

#25. Alachua County

- Total small business establishments: 6,509 (23.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 281,817

Canva

#24. Gulf County

- Total small business establishments: 343 (23.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 14,452

Zhukova Valentyna // Shutterstock

#23. Brevard County

- Total small business establishments: 15,008 (24.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 617,742

Canva

#22. Volusia County

- Total small business establishments: 13,856 (24.5 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 565,988

Canva

#21. Manatee County

- Total small business establishments: 10,377 (25.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 413,474

Canva

#20. Franklin County

- Total small business establishments: 309 (25.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 12,175

Canva

#19. St. Johns County

- Total small business establishments: 7,692 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 293,175

Nadezda Murmakova // Shutterstock

#17. Lee County

- Total small business establishments: 21,184 (26.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 790,676

Canva

#17. Leon County

- Total small business establishments: 7,932 (26.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 296,081

Canva

#16. Okaloosa County

- Total small business establishments: 5,789 (27.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 213,647

Canva

#15. Duval County

- Total small business establishments: 27,373 (27.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 1,002,252

Canva

#14. Bay County

- Total small business establishments: 4,989 (27.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 179,498

Canva

#13. Hillsborough County

- Total small business establishments: 41,277 (27.8 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 1,484,455

Canva

#12. Indian River County

- Total small business establishments: 4,626 (28.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 163,814

Songquan Deng // Shutterstock

#11. Orange County

- Total small business establishments: 43,056 (30.2 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
- 2021 population: 1,427,928

Brittx // Shutterstock

#10. Seminole County

- Total small business establishments: 14,666 (31.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 471,009

Canva

#9. Pinellas County

- Total small business establishments: 30,937 (32.3 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 959,046

Creative Couple Media // Shutterstock

#8. Sarasota County

- Total small business establishments: 15,192 (33.9 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
- 2021 population: 448,550

Canva

#7. Broward County

- Total small business establishments: 67,026 (34.6 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
- 2021 population: 1,935,729

Canva

#6. Collier County

- Total small business establishments: 13,535 (35.0 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 387,241

Canva

#5. Miami-Dade County

- Total small business establishments: 94,470 (35.4 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 2,670,421

Canva

#4. Palm Beach County

- Total small business establishments: 53,680 (35.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 1,503,223

Canva

#3. Walton County

- Total small business establishments: 2,965 (37.1 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 79,988

Canva

#2. Martin County

- Total small business establishments: 6,041 (37.7 per 1,000 residents)
- Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
- 2021 population: 160,249

Canva

#1. 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

This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.


Loading...

Recommended Videos