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

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.