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Jefferson and Shelby County rank among highest in Alabama for small business owners—here’s why
It’s no secret that Birminghamians love supporting local businesses—but now we’ve got the data to prove it. According to a study by SmartAsset, both Shelby and Jefferson County ranked among the best in Alabama for places to own a small business.
Where we ranked
Out of over 50 counties in the state, the Birmingham metro area came out on top for best places to own a small business in Alabama. Coming in at #1 is Shelby County with 26.8% in small business returns—way to go! Jefferson County follows closely behind them at #3, with 24.4% in small business returns. This is great news.
The rankings are determined using three factors:
- # of people in a county with small business income
- the reported business income
- amount of potential resident income taxes
Shelby County had 10.29% in small business income and Jefferson County came in just below that with 10.07%. That means a lot of local businesses are being uplifted by their community.
We love supporting local
These numbers show that small business owners can thrive in many different counties in Alabama. Clay, Mobile, Cullman, Winston, Baldwin, Lee, Houston and Marshall counties all also made the top 10.
Now more than ever, it’s important to continue to support our favorite local businesses. We’ve made it easy to lend a hand with our #ShopLocal guide:
All we do is win 🏆
We’re no stranger to ranking high on the list. Check out the other ways we’ve won big (there’s a lot):
- Bham ranks among highest for charitable giving in America
- Birmingham ranks 5th most pet-friendly city in the U.S
- Birmingham is the 12th best city for new college grads
- Birmingham’s Theatre District is Top on Fodor’s Go List
- Birmingham is one of the fastest growing smaller cities for entrepreneurs
- The Magic City is ranked among the best cities to drive in
- UAB ranked #1 Best Large Employer in America by Forbes
- UAB is named the best hospital in Alabama (again)
- See how Bham ranked high for economic recovery
…we could go on and on.
Keep doing you Birmingham! Let’s keep this incredible list of accolades growing.
What’s your favorite Birmingham small biz? Tag us @bhamnow and let us know!