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Of course, the emphasis here is on 'beginning': About the only data generally available is population ... total, by race, and population density. But it is available down to the county level and for most of the major metro areas. ... Should you care? ... That depends. ... As a general rule, the larger the business operation, the more valuable statistical data tend to be. Why? Because by their very nature, statistics tend to be accurate for larger groups or samples. The smaller the group you're looking at, the greater the likelihood that a statistical model won't accurately represent the group. Nonetheless, even at the county level, some of the data that's coming out of Census 2000, as well as much of the data already available through other sources, can be useful. Take a small business start up, for example: For those starting up a business and facing the sometimes daunting task of writing up a business plan, then the availability of statistics is, at the least, a pro forma requirement. You have to know something about your market. And in order to do that, you have to have the numbers. But whether you're starting a business or you've been running one for years, a look at the numbers can tell you some things it might be in your best interests to know. One example might be to look at the changes in various industries over time. ... Why? Several possible reasons. ...
An Increase in Those Going Into Business for
Themselves In 1970, 7,001 jobs in our area were held by all proprietors, accounting for 12% of all jobs. In 1998 there were 22,478 proprietors, an increase of 15,477, or 221%, and now accounting for 17% of all jobs. But the category of proprietorships includes both Farm {Schedule F} and non-Farm {Schedule C} proprietorships. The real increase was in the non-Farm sector , which grew from 5,524 proprietorships in 1970 [9% of all jobs] to 21,061 in 1998, an increase of 281%. That compares with an overall increase in the number of all jobs of 123%, meaning that non-Farm proprietorships grew at more than twice the rate of jobs overall. ... Looked at another way, non-farm proprietorships actually took up the slack for relative losses of wage & salary positions. The raw number of wage & salary positions grew from 52,286 in 1970 to 109,975 in 1998 -- an increase of about 110%. But in 1970, wage & salary jobs accounted for about 88% of the total employment in the region, while in 1998, that number had dropped to 83%. Significant
Losses Continue for Farm Proprietorships & the Sector as a Whole See this month's On the Farm for more details about The Decline in Regional Farming ... as well as Work for more info on Changes in Patterns of the Local Job Market. ... Finally, this month's Investing brings back The Visual Market, though with a different twist, as we chart Changes in the Local Job Pool. ... There are plenty of stats out there, then ... and, with the new Census 2000 data set to roll out over the next 18 months or so, plenty more are on the way. ... Whether you want or need to check them out is up to you. ... For those who are curious, we're supplying two sets of stats here from the Bureau of Economic Analysis:
Neither will tell you all you need to know, but they may provide good starting points if you're planning on something in a little more depth. . ******* ******* If you would like to submit an article for our Small Business Resources section, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at business@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.] ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* . |
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