(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 Texas 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 Texas 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. Dimmit County

Total small business establishments: 214 (25.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 8,479

49. Comal County

Total small business establishments: 4,434 (25.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 174,891

48. Collin County

Total small business establishments: 28,274 (25.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 1,114,450

47. Smith County

Total small business establishments: 6,061 (25.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 237,114

46. Winkler County

Total small business establishments: 189 (25.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 7,373

45. Stephens County

Total small business establishments: 243 (25.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 9,434

44. Archer County

Total small business establishments: 225 (25.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 8,684

43. McCulloch County

Total small business establishments: 197 (26.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.0%
2021 population: 7,532

42. Eastland County

Total small business establishments: 469 (26.3 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 17,834

41. San Saba County

Total small business establishments: 154 (26.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
2021 population: 5,824

40. Colorado County

Total small business establishments: 551 (26.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 20,592

39. Washington County

Total small business establishments: 963 (26.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 35,898

38. Dallas County

Total small business establishments: 69,637 (26.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 2,587,954

37. Knox County

Total small business establishments: 90 (27.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.9%
2021 population: 3,307

36. Upton County

Total small business establishments: 89 (27.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 97.8%
2021 population: 3,241

35. Ward County

Total small business establishments: 307 (27.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 11,111

34. Burnet County

Total small business establishments: 1,430 (28.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 51,080

33. Hamilton County

Total small business establishments: 233 (28.3 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 8,238

32. Kerr County

Total small business establishments: 1,509 (28.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 53,136

31. Hansford County

Total small business establishments: 146 (28.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
2021 population: 5,138

30. Reeves County

Total small business establishments: 375 (28.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 13,002

28. Dallam County

Total small business establishments: 210 (29.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 7,188

28. Baylor County

Total small business establishments: 101 (29.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.1%
2021 population: 3,456

27. Edwards County

Total small business establishments: 42 (29.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 1,431

26. Brewster County

Total small business establishments: 282 (29.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.3%
2021 population: 9,459

25. Throckmorton County

Total small business establishments: 45 (29.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 93.8%
2021 population: 1,508

24. Potter County

Total small business establishments: 3,492 (30.0 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 116,538

23. Travis County

Total small business establishments: 39,875 (30.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.7%
2021 population: 1,308,544

22. Glasscock County

Total small business establishments: 35 (30.7 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 94.6%
2021 population: 1,142

21. Fayette County

Total small business establishments: 763 (30.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 24,669

20. Jeff Davis County

Total small business establishments: 61 (31.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 1,959

19. Young County

Total small business establishments: 563 (31.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.6%
2021 population: 17,911

18. Real County

Total small business establishments: 89 (31.7 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.9%
2021 population: 2,806

17. Blanco County

Total small business establishments: 378 (31.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.5%
2021 population: 11,890

16. Gregg County

Total small business establishments: 4,035 (32.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 124,052

15. Kimble County

Total small business establishments: 142 (32.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.6%
2021 population: 4,350

14. Stonewall County

Total small business establishments: 40 (33.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 88.9%
2021 population: 1,208

13. Kendall County

Total small business establishments: 1,566 (33.4 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 46,851

12. Wheeler County

Total small business establishments: 166 (33.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.2%
2021 population: 4,905

11. Midland County

Total small business establishments: 5,754 (34.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.9%
2021 population: 168,206

10. Irion County

Total small business establishments: 54 (35.3 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 94.7%
2021 population: 1,531

9. Sutton County

Total small business establishments: 116 (35.3 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 3,284

8. Shackelford County

Total small business establishments: 114 (35.9 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 98.3%
2021 population: 3,177

7. Sterling County

Total small business establishments: 50 (36.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 1,382

6. Reagan County

Total small business establishments: 118 (36.6 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.2%
2021 population: 3,228

5. Ochiltree County

Total small business establishments: 359 (36.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.4%
2021 population: 9,763

4. Hemphill County

Total small business establishments: 122 (36.8 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 96.8%
2021 population: 3,315

3. Mason County

Total small business establishments: 146 (37.2 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 100.0%
2021 population: 3,929

2. Crockett County

Total small business establishments: 116 (38.5 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.1%
2021 population: 3,015

1. Gillespie County

Total small business establishments: 1,122 (41.1 per 1,000 residents)
Share of establishments that are small: 99.8%
2021 population: 27,282

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