(Stacker) — In 2021, the IRS received a whopping 5.4 million business applications—an all-time high since the U.S. government began tracking this data in 2004. The year with the second-highest number of new business applications? 2020. Today, small businesses employ nearly half of the nation’s workers, according to a Chamber of Commerce report.

It’s fair to say that the past few years have been banner years for small businesses, but what about regional differences? The business climate in a small town in Texas is likely not the same as a small town in Connecticut. The Chamber of Commerce report found that the Midwest was the most business-friendly region, thanks to the relatively low cost of living, well-educated workforce, and regulations lowering taxes and easing zoning restrictions for businesses.

Of course, the East and West coasts also have plenty to offer, from California’s Silicon Valley and Hollywood studios to New York’s financial hub to Massachusetts’ prominence in the aerospace, defense, and information technology industries. A few states—including Delaware, Wyoming, and Nevada—even allow you to incorporate your business within their borders without ever setting foot there.

For even more specific data, let’s take it a step further by analyzing counties. Are certain counties more friendly to small businesses than others? To pinpoint the areas where small businesses abound, altLINE used Census Bureau data to find the counties in New York with the highest concentration of small businesses in 2021, calculated as small establishments per 1,000 residents. Small establishments are defined as those with fewer than 500 employees. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents were excluded from the analysis, as well as counties for which the Census Bureau didn’t have population estimates.

Another important factor to consider: States where nonresidents are allowed to incorporate businesses will also have a higher ratio of small businesses to residents since not all small businesses are actually operated by people living in that state.

Taking a close look at the type of counties that topped the list in each state also reveals some interesting trends. World-class vacation destinations are well represented on the lists of each state, perhaps because tourists are looking to get a sense of how the locals live through small businesses like restaurants, bakeries, bars, and boutiques.

While the top counties in each state do include a few major cities, less populated counties with smaller towns are much more common. Although most of the nation’s small businesses are located in major metropolitan areas, those that are located in rural areas tend to be more stable—possibly due to loyalty from local residents or the absence of competition from large corporations.

Keep reading to discover the counties in New York with the highest concentration of small businesses, and see how it compares across 50 states. It just might give you inspiration for your next endeavor.

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten, writing by Annalise Mantz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

50. Lewis County

Total small business establishments: 502 (18.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 26,745

49. Steuben County

Total small business establishments: 1,751 (18.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 93,105

48. Madison County

Total small business establishments: 1,271 (18.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 67,397

47. Rensselaer County

Total small business establishments: 3,037 (18.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 160,740

46. Staten Island

Total small business establishments: 9,350 (19.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 493,484

45. Wyoming County

Total small business establishments: 759 (19.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 40,017

44. Livingston County

Total small business establishments: 1,184 (19.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 61,629

43. Cattaraugus County

Total small business establishments: 1,490 (19.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 76,650

42. Franklin County

Total small business establishments: 919 (19.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 47,040

41. Chemung County

Total small business establishments: 1,642 (19.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 82,830

40. Jefferson County

Total small business establishments: 2,350 (20.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 117,680

39. Broome County

Total small business establishments: 3,994 (20.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 198,703

38. Cayuga County

Total small business establishments: 1,530 (20.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 75,791

37. Oneida County

Total small business establishments: 4,713 (20.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 229,942

36. Seneca County

Total small business establishments: 696 (20.7 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 33,576

35. Montgomery County

Total small business establishments: 1,029 (20.7 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 49,611

34. Chautauqua County

Total small business establishments: 2,658 (21.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 126,785

33. Otsego County

Total small business establishments: 1,275 (21.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 60,758

32. Cortland County

Total small business establishments: 979 (21.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 46,489

31. Genesee County

Total small business establishments: 1,225 (21.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 57,988

30. Schuyler County

Total small business establishments: 377 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 17,800

29. Yates County

Total small business establishments: 522 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 24,634

28. Tompkins County

Total small business establishments: 2,249 (21.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 106,044

27. Niagara County

Total small business establishments: 4,502 (21.3 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 211,891

26. Queens

Total small business establishments: 49,782 (21.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 2,328,141

25. Fulton County

Total small business establishments: 1,136 (21.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 53,055

24. Clinton County

Total small business establishments: 1,729 (21.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 79,996

23. Saratoga County

Total small business establishments: 5,361 (22.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 237,962

22. Brooklyn

Total small business establishments: 60,182 (22.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 2,637,486

21. Monroe County

Total small business establishments: 17,364 (23.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 756,547

20. Erie County

Total small business establishments: 22,339 (23.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 954,350

19. Onondaga County

Total small business establishments: 11,229 (23.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 472,094

18. Greene County

Total small business establishments: 1,169 (24.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 48,493

17. Delaware County

Total small business establishments: 1,082 (24.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 44,753

16. Orange County

Total small business establishments: 9,869 (24.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 404,997

15. Dutchess County

Total small business establishments: 7,414 (24.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 298,039

14. Sullivan County

Total small business establishments: 1,994 (25.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 79,694

13. Ontario County

Total small business establishments: 2,874 (25.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 112,660

12. Ulster County

Total small business establishments: 4,908 (26.7 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 183,704

11. Columbia County

Total small business establishments: 1,776 (28.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 62,039

10. Albany County

Total small business establishments: 9,296 (29.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 316,301

9. Putnam County

Total small business establishments: 2,893 (29.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 98,176

8. Westchester County

Total small business establishments: 30,951 (31.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 999,607

7. Rockland County

Total small business establishments: 10,522 (31.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 339,256

6. Essex County

Total small business establishments: 1,176 (31.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 37,292

5. Suffolk County

Total small business establishments: 49,746 (32.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 1,533,118

4. Warren County

Total small business establishments: 2,211 (33.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 65,773

3. Nassau County

Total small business establishments: 48,164 (34.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 1,391,112

2. Hamilton County

Total small business establishments: 187 (36.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 5,114

1. Manhattan

Total small business establishments: 95,564 (60.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 1,578,801

This story originally appeared on altLINE and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.