The pandemic has been tough on pretty much everyone, but — no surprise here — small business owners have borne the economic brunt of more than a year of quarantines, lockdowns, and other COVID-19 measures. Cheapism partnered with data visualization company HiGeorge to track the extent of small business closings nationwide since January 2020, based on data from the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker created by Harvard and Brown universities. According to this analysis, 27 states have lost more than a third of their small businesses. Even in the states with lower shutdown rates, more than a quarter of small businesses are gone. Read on to see how your state has been affected county by county, and use our interactive maps to see the impact in real time.
Note: Data was unavailable for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Related: Companies That Filed for Bankruptcy Since the Pandemic Began — and Which Ones Could Be Next
Maine
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 44.3%
While small businesses have closed across the state, the areas hit hardest are on Maine’s western border, which it shares with New Hampshire. Counties most affected include:
Oxford: -63.5%
Cumberland: -63.1%
Sagadahoc: -54.2%
Related: 17 Restaurant Chains We Miss
Michigan
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 43%
While Michigan does have one county where small businesses grew — Monroe, where the number is up 6.28% since early 2020 — it is one of the states with the most closings. Counties most affected include:
Otsego: -61.9%
Gogebic: -59.5%
Mason: -57.2%
Related: 18 Ways to Help Small Businesses Survive Right Now
Rhode Island
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 42.1%
Counties most affected include:
Washington: -57.3%
Providence: -40.2%
Kent: -38.7%
Related: 21 Financial Lifelines to Help Small Businesses Stay Afloat
Massachusetts
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 41.7%
The areas that saw the biggest number of small business closings in the Bay State are also where a lot of seasonal tourism takes place. Counties most affected include:
Nantucket: -60.5%
Dukes: -59.5%
Suffolk: -48.6%
Related: 15 Ways It’s Become Tougher Than Ever to Run a Small Business
Connecticut
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 40.8%
That figure of nearly 41% is up a lot just since December, when the Connecticut Business & Industry Association reported that more than one-third were gone. Counties most affected include:
New London: -54.2%
New Haven: -46.3%
Fairfield: -45.5%
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New Mexico
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 39.9%
Counties most affected include:
Colfax: -73.3%
Grant: -57.8%
Eddy: -50.2%
Related: Best ‘Main Street’ Shopping Districts in All 50 States
Illinois
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 39.8%
The industries in Illinois that saw the biggest declines include leisure and hospitality and food and accommodation. Counties most affected include:
Marion: -55.9%
Shelby: -50.8%
Fayette: -50.5%
Related: People Are Abandoning These 3 States
California
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 39.1%
According to an April update on a story in The New York Times, California’s “stop-start” approach to lockdowns has resulted in a lot of anger — not to mention debt — among small business owners. Counties most affected include:
Tuolumne: -56.9%
San Francisco: -53.%
Siskiyou: -50.7%
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New Jersey
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 38.6%
Many of the Garden State’s small business closings have been concentrated in its northern half. According to Opportunity Insights’ Track the Recovery page, the industry most affected has been leisure and hospitality. Counties most affected include:
Morris: -50.3%
Somerset: -49.9%
Hunterdon: -49.7%
New York
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 38.3%
Faring slightly better than neighboring states, New York has actually seen small business increases in Lewis, Cattaraugus, and Schuyler counties. But the New York metro area and the Hudson Valley have not been so fortunate. Counties most affected include:
New York: -57.4%
Putnam: -52.2%
Greene: -49.9%
Georgia
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 38.3%
One Georgia county, Harris, experienced slight small business growth. According to Track the Recovery, the leisure, hospitality, retail, and transportation industries were hit the hardest in the Peach State. Counties most affected include:
Upson: -67.1%
Appling: -56.9%
Greene: -56.6%
Louisiana
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 37.9%
Counties most affected include:
St James: -57.2%
West Feliciana: -56.6%
Evangeline: -55.3%
Related: Small Businesses to Support Instead of Amazon
Delaware
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 37.3%
Counties most affected include:
Kent: -37.6%
New Castle: -35.9%
Sussex: -25.9%
Related: Black-Owned Stores to Support in (Almost) Every State
Texas
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 37.1%
Although two counties, Reeves and Reagan, saw slight growth, closings happened throughout the Lone Star State. The largest number were concentrated northwest of Dallas/Fort Worth and southwest of San Antonio, where the second-worst rate of shutdowns in the United States was recorded. Counties most affected include:
Frio: -77.2%
Wilbarger: -72.%
Jack: -68.8%
Virginia
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 36.9%
Counties most affected include:
Essex: -58.%
Fluvanna: -56.8%
Washington: -55.4%
Florida
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 36.9%
As in other states, small business health in Florida was hit hardest in the hospitality, leisure, retail, and transportation industries. Counties most affected include:
Highlands: -53.1%
Collier: -43.8%
Nassau: -41.9%
Related: Black Americans Who Broke Barriers in the Business World
Colorado
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 36.4%
The communities hardest hit by small business shutdowns include those in the southwestern part of the state — with Archuleta County having the unfortunate distinction of the highest small business shutdown rate in the entire country. (There are only about 14,029 residents in its 1,356 square miles.) Counties most affected include:
Archuleta: -84.3%
San Miguel: -68.6%
Alamosa: -63.9%
Related: The Best and Worst States for Women Entrepreneurs
Kentucky
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 35.5%
Counties most affected include:
Grayson: -64%
Fulton: -57.9%
Grant: -56.1%
Arizona
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 35.5%
Counties most affected include:
Graham: -66%
Santa Cruz: -46.2%
La Paz: -43.5%
Kansas
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 35.3%
Counties most affected include:
Montgomery: -61.2%
Jefferson: -53.6%
Ellis: -50.2%
Mississippi
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 34.8%
Counties most affected include:
Panola: -50.3%
Winston: -45.9%
Oktibbeha: -45.8%
Oklahoma
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 34.6%
Counties most affected include:
Osage: -54.7%
Custer: -52.2%
Stephens: -49%
Related: Top 15 Affordable Cities for Starting a Business
Iowa
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 34.3%
One Iowa county’s small businesses landscape grew by more than 3% since January 2020: Washington. Most, however, saw no growth at all. Counties most affected include:
Buchanan: -64.7%
Warren: -47%
Cherokee: -46.5%
Ohio
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 33.9%
While Hocking County grew its number of small businesses by more than 12%, most of the Buckeye State saw widespread small business closings. Counties most affected include:
Fulton: -63.5%
Williams: -63.3%
Defiance: -61.6%
South Carolina
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 33.8%
Dillon County’s small business growth has increased nearly 5% since early 2020, but the rest of the state saw pretty high rates of shutdowns. Counties most affected include:
Kershaw: -48%
Barnwell: -41.4%
Colleton: -40%
Related: 34 Companies That Changed American Culture for Better or Worse
Indiana
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 33.5%
Three Indiana counties — Tipton, Park, and Vigo — saw relatively high numbers of new small businesses open: 22.9%, 15.8%, and 31.2%, respectively. Counties most affected by closings include:
Steuben: -61.7%
Greene: -57%
Decatur: -54.7%
Nevada
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 33.4%
Las Vegas’ county, Clark, fared 5 to 10 percentage points better than the counties where the rates were highest. Counties most affected include:
Humboldt: -38.3%
Washoe: -35.6%
Douglas: -34.5%
Maryland
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 33.3%
Counties most affected include:
Garrett: -41.7%
Washington: -40.6%
Baltimore City: -39.5%
Related: Expert Tips to Grow Your Business Without Stressing Out
Washington
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 33%
One of the hardest-hit states in the early days of the pandemic, Washington has actually done fairly well since. One county, Whitman, even saw a slight small business bump as others suffered. Counties most affected include:
Klickitat: -62.6%
Clark: -50.7%
Mason: -46.6%
Wisconsin
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 32.7%
Most of the places hardest hit by small business closings were in the northern part of Wisconsin. Counties most affected include:
Ashland: -47.8%
Sawyer: -46.3%
Lincoln: -45.9%
Pennsylvania
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 31.7%
Most counties in Pennsylvania report small business shutdowns, but those in the central part of the state have fared best. Counties most affected include:
Warren: -55.9%
York: -53.1%
Franklin: -48.8%
Related: 19 Small Businesses You Can Start With Less Than $1,000
North Carolina
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 31.5%
Counties most affected include:
Transylvania: -61.1%
Pamlico: -47.7%
Polk: -47%
West Virginia
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 31.4%
Most of the counties affected more heavily by small business shutdowns in West Virginia were along the state’s eastern border. The hardest-hit industries were leisure and hospitality. Counties most affected include:
Morgan: -47.7%
Hardy: -44.4%
Greenbrier: -44.1%
Oregon
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 30.5%
Two of Oregon’s biggest counties have experienced small business growth since early 2020 — Harney (up 27.3%) and Lake (up 9.3%) — but much of the state has not. Counties most affected include:
Columbia: -40.8%
Multnomah: -39.6%
Klamath: -37.2%
Related: 13 Small Business Tips to Borrow From ‘Shark Tank’
Missouri
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 30%
Counties most affected include:
Gasconade: -47.9%
Benton: -47.9%
Polk: -44.7%
Hawaii
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 29.9%
Hawaii’s Garden Island, Kauai, was by far the hardest hit by small business closings. Counties most affected include:
Kauai: -52.8%
Hawaii: -33.5%
Maui: -32.9%
Alabama
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 29.8%
Counties most affected include:
Chambers: -47%
Jackson: -41.2%
Russell: -39.9%
Related: 24 Successful Businesses Launched During Economic Downturns
Minnesota
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 29.7%
The counties of Becker, Aitkin, and Pine saw growth in their small business communities, but many parts of Minnesota saw shutdowns. Counties most affected include:
Houston: -58.8%
Pennington: -58.2%
Lake of the Woods: -46.4%
Vermont
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 29.6%
Counties most affected include:
Lamoille: -53.9%
Addison: -49.9%
Bennington: -43.3%
Arkansas
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 29.6%
Counties most affected include:
Crittenden: -46.8%
Ashley: -46%
Mississippi: -44%
Related: Travel Agencies and 20 Other Businesses That Are Disappearing
Tennessee
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 29.3%
Two eastern Vol State counties — Sevier and Cocke — grew their small business landscapes by around 20%, while the rest of the state suffered. Counties most affected include:
Carroll: -57.9%
Campbell: -50.8%
Obion: -42.4%
North Dakota
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 28.9%
Counties most affected include:
Morton: -39.6%
Williams: -34%
Burleigh: -30.7%
New Hampshire
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 26.6%
While the northern half of New Hampshire added more small businesses, the southern half suffered setbacks — especially Rockingham County, which lost more than half. Counties most affected include:
Rockingham: -52.2%
Carroll: -38.6%
Hillsborough: -34%
Related: 25 Emerging Businesses That Nobody Saw Coming
Utah
Percentage of small businesses that have closed: 26.5%
Utah already leads the nation with the lowest number of small business closings on this list, but there was more good news recently when the Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey noted that 45% of small businesses are already operating at pre-pandemic levels, while 26% are expected to return to normal within six months. Counties most affected include:
Kane: -39.5%
Summit: -36.9%
Tooele: -31.9%
