Small businesses significantly impact Kansas’s economy, employing 594,623 workers in 2010 with most of the employment coming from firms with 20 – 499 employees, according to a new state-by-state report released today by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy.
The Small Business Profile for the States and Territories, an annual analysis of each state’s small businesses, also finds that self-employment in Kansas improved over the last decade, while minority self-employment saw the largest growth. All in all, Kansas’s 240,815 small businesses represent 96.6 percent of all employers, and they employ 52.8 percent of the private-sector labor force. Nationwide, there are 27.8 million small businesses representing 99.7 percent of all employers and employing nearly half – 49.1 percent – of the private-sector labor force.
“Like many states across the nation, small businesses are helping to strengthen the economy in Kansas,” said Dr. Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “Most of the country’s small businesses continue to be very small, having fewer than 20 employees, but they paint a big picture of a recovering America. Advocacy’s analysis gives us a clear understanding of just how important small businesses are in Kansas.”
Kansas’s small business profile contains detailed information about the number and type of businesses in the state, business owner demographics, industrial makeup, business turnover and income and finance. Most data are also presented in comparison with similar data over time. Each state’s small business profile can be read or downloaded by visiting the Office of Advocacy’s website at www.sba.gov/advocacy/848.
Highlights of the Kansas small business profile include:
Overall Economy
Kansas’s economy was was strong in 2011, with real gross state product increasing 3.8 percent and private-sector employment increasing 1.1 percent.
The state’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 percent in 2011.
During the midst of the economic recession, the employment situation from 2007-2010 was weak, yet small businesses in Kansas represented all of the net new jobs.
Small Businesses
Small businesses in Kansas employed 594,623 workers in 2010, with most of the employment coming from firms with 20 – 499 employees.
Most of the state’s small businesses are very small as 75.6 percent of all businesses have no employees, and most employers have fewer than 20 employees.
In 2011, the number of opening establishments was higher than closing establishments, resulting in a positive change in net employment.
Self-Employment
Self-employment in Kansas improved over the last decade by 1.5 percent.
Minority self-employment saw the largest growth in Kansas over the last decade.