Methodology

To determine the fastest growing small business opportunities, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on business establishment growth by industry from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns program. Detailed industries were ranked based on the percentage change in establishments from 2017 to 2021. Only industries in which the average establishment size was less than 20 employees were considered. Additionally, industries within the finance and insurance, health care and social assistance, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, or utilities sectors were excluded. Supplemental data on employee counts and average annual payroll also came from the CBP.