Entrepreneurship in Connecticut Among Nation’s Top 15

The rate of entrepreneurial activity in Connecticut in 2011 was .34% - ranking at number 15 (tied with Arkansas and Louisiana) among states.  Tops in the nation was Arizona at .52%, California at .44%, Colorado at .42%, Alaska at .41% and Nevada at .39%   The bottom dweller?  West Virginia at .15% Across the nation, the rate of new business creation dipped during 2011 and startup founders remained more likely to fly solo than employ others, according to "Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity," a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States published annually and released this month by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The Index shows that 0.32 percent of American adults created a business per month in 2011 – a 5.9 percent drop from 2010, but still among the highest levels of entrepreneurship over the past 16 years. The quarterly employer firm rate also remained essentially flat from 2010 to 2011 at 0.11 percent. Entrepreneurship growth was highest among 45- to 54-year-olds, rising from 0.35 percent in 2010 to 0.37 percent in 2011. The youngest group (aged 20 to 34) also showed a slight increase.