Local Business Vitality

Small and locally owned businesses stimulate a great deal of economic growth and activity at the community-level. Locally-owned businesses (i.e., 0-4 employees) are more likely to be integrated in the civic infrastructure of the community. A local entrepreneurial culture promotes population health through collective efficacy, which “provides a problem- solving capacity to addressing public health problems.” A strong entrepreneurial environment is associated with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes, and some research suggests that “curbing diabetes prevalence should utilize the business community as a key agent of social change. The Local Business Vitality indicator reports the local- capitalism, of each neighborhood, by calculating the proportion of small, locally-owned businesses. Although the Local Business Vitality indicator is found under the Economic Health domain, it is also relevant to the Employment Opportunities, Social Cohesion, and Neighborhood Characteristics domains. The Local Business Vitality indicator was calculated using data from the U.S. Census and InfoGroup, Inc.

Neighborhoodsort descending Indicator Value Rank
Acipco-Finley 45.8% 80
Airport Highlands 50.0% 69
Apple Valley 79.0% 13
Arlington - West End 57.4% 54
Belview Heights 70.4% 23
Bridlewood 87.5% 6
Brown Springs 50.0% 69
Brownsville Heights 100.0% 1
Brummitt Heights 0.0% 98
Bush Hills 79.4% 12
Central City 72.2% 20
Central Park 58.9% 48
Central Pratt 80.0% 10
College Hills 39.3% 90
Collegeville 40.3% 87
Crestline 55.8% 58
Crestwood North 71.8% 21
Crestwood South 60.4% 43
Dolomite 77.1% 15
Druid Hills 46.4% 79
East Avondale 44.2% 82
East Birmingham 33.3% 95
East Brownville 83.3% 8
East Lake 63.1% 36
East Thomas 61.9% 41
Eastwood 47.3% 77
Echo Highlands 52.9% 67
Enon Ridge 60.0% 44
Ensley 67.1% 28
Ensley Highlands 82.0% 9
Evergreen 60.0% 44
Fairmont 62.5% 38
Fairview 76.7% 16
Five Points South 54.9% 59
Forest Park 57.8% 52
Fountain Heights 43.8% 83
Garden Highlands 36.8% 93
Gate City 71.4% 22
Germania Park 79.0% 13
Glen Iris 54.1% 64
Grasselli Heights 80.0% 10
Graymont 58.6% 49
Green Acres 75.0% 17
Harriman Park 28.0% 97
Highland Park 67.7% 27
Hillman 66.7% 29
Hillman Park 0.0% 98
Hooper City 40.0% 88
Huffman 58.4% 50
Industrial Center 60.0% 44
Inglenook 51.3% 68
Jones Valley 57.9% 51
Killough Springs 65.0% 34
Kingston 54.2% 63
Liberty Highlands 36.7% 94
Maple Grove 50.0% 69
Mason City 53.9% 66
North Avondale 41.3% 85
North Birmingham 47.2% 78
North East Lake 54.8% 60
North Pratt 68.4% 26
North Titusville 62.0% 40
Norwood 41.0% 86
Oak Ridge 50.0% 69
Oak Ridge Park 50.0% 69
Oakwood Place 56.0% 56
Overton 37.6% 92
Oxmoor 37.9% 91
Penfield Park 88.9% 5
Pine Knoll Vista 100.0% 1
Powderly 85.7% 7
Redmont Park 63.0% 37
Riley 64.7% 35
Rising - West Princeton 65.5% 32
Roebuck 57.6% 53
Roebuck Springs 72.8% 19
Roosevelt 66.7% 29
Sandusky 100.0% 1
Sherman Heights 57.1% 55
Smithfield 55.9% 57
Smithfield Estates 69.4% 24
South East Lake 60.5% 42
South Pratt 40.0% 88
South Titusville 54.0% 65
South Woodlawn 47.8% 76
Southside 42.4% 84
Spring Lake 68.6% 25
Sun Valley 54.6% 61
Tarpley City 44.4% 81
Thomas 31.9% 96
Tuxedo 50.0% 69
Wahouma 50.0% 69
West Brownville 75.0% 17
West End Manor 62.5% 38
West Goldwire 100.0% 1
Woodland Park 60.0% 44
Woodlawn 54.5% 62
Wylam 65.2% 33
Zion City 66.7% 29

Key Citations:
1. Besser, T. (2013). Resilient small rural towns and community shocks. Journal of Rural and Community Development, 8.1, 117-134.
2. Blanchard, T.C., Tolbert, C., & Mencken, C. (2012). The health and wealth of US counties: how the small business environment impacts alternative measures of development. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 5.1, 149-162. Available at: http://businessreport.com/editorial-pdfs/small-business-study.pdf
3. 2013 Independent Business Survey. (2013). Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). Available at: http://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-Survey.pdf.
4. Blanchard, T. C., C. Tolbert, and C. Mencken. 2012. “The Health and Wealth of US Counties: How the Small Business Environment Impacts Alternative Measures of Development.” Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 5(1):149–62.
5. Blanchard, Troy C., Jing Li, Carson Mencken, and Charles M. Tolbert. 2012. “Entrepreneurial Environment and the Prevalence of Diabetes in U.S. Counties.” ISRN Public Health 2012:1–5.