Shingle Hung, Apparently

Capital Region residents appear to have started thousands of new ventures in the midst of a generational pandemic

A few weeks ago, we noted that the Capital Region had a higher percentage of residents shifting to self-employment than the country as a whole. As it turns out, sole proprietorships weren’t the only new businesses in the metro area: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Quarterly Survey of Employment and Wages, the number of businesses in the BRAC region was more than 2,300 higher in the third quarter of 2021 than in the same quarter in 2019.

This 9.5% increase over a two year period is notably higher rate than the country as a whole, which comes in at about 7%. Also, the fact that we’ve seen just over 1,700 residents shift to self-employment while there are more than 2,300 new businesses overall implies that there are more than 600 new businesses that consist of more than self-employment.

While seven of the region’s nine parishes experienced business growth, the data from East Baton Rouge stands out. Over a two-year pandemic-influenced stretch, the parish saw an increase of nearly 1,600 establishments. As we emerge from COVID, the available data highlights the resiliency and entrepreneurial nature of Capital Region residents.