Here is an interesting factoid from the Friday edition of the Wall Street Journal. I think it is using data that is two years old, but I'm willing to bet that the trend is intact
The latest analysis of Census Bureau data by the Economic Innovation Group points to the increasing concentration of new business formation in a smaller number of U.S. counties. The findings show that 20 counties account for half of new businesses and that most counties had fewer business establishments in 2014 than in 2010. Even accounting for so-called dynamic counties, the total number of firms in the U.S. remains lower than it was in 2004.
Anyone care to bet that SF or San Mateo, and/or Santa Clara county are in the top 20 "dynamic" counties? Think about it. As of 2013, there were 3,007 counties in the U.S. and half of all new businesses started in just 20 of them. Couple that with the fact that many of our established businesses are growing as well and you see why we have the growth stresses that we are experiencing. Even with capable agencies we would struggle to accommodate such growth, but instead we are stuck with a bunch of agencies and leaders and some activists who neither understand the issues or the magnitude of the forces at work–not to mention basic economics.
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