Entrepreneurial growth spreads outside typical hubs

Entrepreneurial growth continues to rebound and is spreading to different industries and geographies, according to the 2017 Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship, yet the report also states that entrepreneurial growth “continues to be a rare phenomenon. Most firms are not growth firms.” The five metropolitan areas with the highest levels of entrepreneurship were, in order: Washington, D.C.; Austin; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville; and Atlanta, according to the report. The five largest states with the highest entrepreneurial growth activity were Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts and Texas. The smallest population states with the highest entrepreneurial growth were Utah, Hawaii, North Dakota, Nevada and New Hampshire.

The index measures the growth of entrepreneurial businesses in terms of revenue and employment, relying on the rate of startup growth, share of scale ups and high-growth company density to provide a measure of business growth that can be tracked over time.