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.

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

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.