Photo Courtesy of Lynn Luc / SOCO

Entrepreneurial & Business Environment A region’s relative ease of doing business and the strength of the support system for the startup, growth and maintenance of businesses

135

136

Proprietor’s Income Share: Percentage of income in a region generated by business ownership

3rd/10 Small Business Activity: Measure of a region’s capacity to produce new companies

5th/10

116

100

The Metrics

Business Density:

U.S. Avg.

Number of establishments per 1,000 employees

61

73

66

82

80

5th/10

85

Business Services: Share of population employed in professional and technical services occupations

3rd/10 Establishment Growth Rate: Growth in number of business establishments, 2000-2016

32

3rd/10 Greenville SC

WinstonSalem, NC

Greensboro NC

Lexington KY

OVERALL RANKING

OVER TIME 10

Knoxville TN

Raleigh NC

Augusta GA

Columbia SC

Tallahassee FL

Charleston SC

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019-20

7 th

7 th

7 th

9 th

3 rd

3 rd

2019-20 Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report