Missouri New Business Formations 2006

New businesses bring industry diversity and job growth to a region and are a major engine for economic growth. Research has shown a positive relationship between levels of entrepreneurial activity and economic growth across countries.ⁱ

The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) monitors new business formations through the use of its business indicator. The indicator measures unemployment insurance accounts established in the state. This allows MERIC to gauge the number of new Missouri businesses by county.

In 2006, Missouri had 14,513 new business formations, a decrease from 15,995 in 2005.

Total New Businesses in Missouri, 2006

Every county in Missouri had new business formations in 2006. The five counties with the highest number were St. Louis County, Jackson, St. Charles, Greene, and Boone. Counties encompassing the metro areas of Kansas City, St. Louis, Joplin, Columbia, and Springfield also had high new business formation counts. 

Total business formation tends to be highest in urban areas that have high population density. The map below shows new business starts per 1,000 people for each county in Missouri. This map is useful because it allows business growth to be standardized by population, making it possible to identify rural counties with high business growth.

New Businesses in Missouri Counties per 1,000 Population, 2006

The above map shows that tourist areas such as Taney County (Branson) and Camden County (Lake of the Ozarks) are experiencing high business growth relative to population in the area. The southeast region of the state is also experiencing relatively high business formation. The counties of Reynolds, Iron, Bollinger, Dunklin, Ripley and Mississippi have higher than average business formations, compared to the statewide average of 2.2 new businesses formed per 1,000 population.ⁱⁱ

Services led business formations in Missouri with more than 7,700 new employer firms in 2006. Construction was second with more than 2,200 and Finance, Insurance & Real Estate, Retail Trade and Wholesale Trade each had more than 1,000.

Missouri's new business growth was concentrated in Private Household Employers (13.1%), Professional and Technical Services (13.0%), Specialty Trade Contractors (9.6%), Administrative and Support Services (6.6%) and Food Services and Drinking Places (6.0%). These industries and their definitions are listed below. A complete list by detailed industry sector is included below. 

Private Households: Private households engage in employing workers in activities concerned with the operation of households. This includes households that employ cooks, butlers, nannies, housekeepers, and gardeners.

Professional and Technical Services: Businesses highly dependent on technical skills. Examples include law firms, accounting firms, architectural and engineering firms, and business consulting.

Specialty Trade Contractors: Establishments whose primary activity is performing specific activities (e.g., pouring concrete, site preparation, plumbing, painting, and electrical work) involved in building construction.

Administrative and Support Services: Establishments engaged in activities that support the day-to-day operations of other organizations such as cleaning services, general management, and personnel administration.

Food Services and Drinking Places: Establishments whose activity includes preparing meals, snacks, and beverages to customer order for immediate on-premises and off-premises consumption.

New Businesses in Missouri by Detailed Industry Classification
2006

ⁱReynolds, Paul D., Hay, Michael, Bygrave, William D., Camp, S. Michael, and Autio, Erkko. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2000 Executive Report. (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 2000). http://www.esbri.se/gem-rapport.pdf

ⁱⁱPopulation data for calculating per 1,000 population figures uses 2005 population estimates from U.S. Census Bureau.