The number of small businesses nationwide declined by about 300,000 from 11.6 million at the end of 2003 to 11.3 million at the end of last year, according to a study released last week by infoUSA, Omaha, NE.
The report contained results from the firm’s annual Sales Genie Survey of U.S. Businesses. Sales Genie is a Web-based subscription prospecting tool for small businesses. It lets businesses access unlimited sales leads from infoUSA’s 12 databases online for a flat $250 monthly fee.
The number of small businesses grew early in the decade, but the decline began in 2003 when the total was 11.61 million, down from 11.67 million at the end of 2002. The total had risen from 10.9 million for 2000 to 11.4 million for 2001.
Some states experienced growth from 2000 to 2004. Those with the largest increases in small businesses were: Nevada, which grew 32.9 percent, from 78,203 to 103,925; Colorado, which improved 15.6 percent, from 200,822 to 232,209; and Florida, which grew 15.5 percent, from 688,110 to 794,574.
The largest decreases from 2000 to 2004 occurred in: Hawaii, which lost 11.4 percent, from 51,837 to 45,945; New Jersey, which lost 3.2 percent, from 389,590 to 376,981; and New York, which also lost 3.2 percent, from 758,452 to 734,295.
