Business Retention

The Business Retention indicator measures the rate of growth or decline in the number of neighborhood businesses over time, and is an important barometer for the economic strength of a neighborhood. Business retention is key to the health of the local economy. Local businesses contribute to the social fabric of a community, by augmenting social networks and increasing access to the labor market. Some studies show that promoting business retention and expansion is integral to job creation; however most job creation efforts focus heavily on business recruitment, while giving relatively less attention to the former. At the population level, prolonged business decline has been linked to negative mental health outcomes and other morbidities. The HCAT includes a measure of the number of businesses that have opened or closed on a year-to-year basis. Although found under the Economic Health domain, the Business Retention indicator can also be linked to the Employment Opportunities, Social Cohesion, and Neighborhood Characteristics domains. Data for the Business Retention indicator is available from the InfoGroup, Inc.

Neighborhood Indicator Value Ranksort ascending
Pine Knoll Vista -50.0% 99
Brownsville Heights -40.0% 98
South Pratt -28.6% 97
East Birmingham -27.4% 96
Green Acres -25.9% 94
Evergreen -25.9% 94
Hillman -25.0% 93
Wylam -24.6% 92
Fairmont -23.8% 91
Acipco-Finley -21.7% 90
Graymont -21.6% 88
Redmont Park -21.6% 88
Tuxedo -20.9% 87
Rising - West Princeton -20.0% 86
Central Pratt -19.4% 85
Inglenook -19.2% 84
Fairview -18.9% 83
Smithfield -18.6% 82
Spring Lake -18.1% 81
North Birmingham -17.7% 80
Apple Valley -17.4% 79
East Avondale -17.3% 78
Central City -17.2% 77
East Lake -16.7% 76
Highland Park -16.0% 75
Eastwood -14.5% 74
East Brownville -14.3% 73
Harriman Park -13.8% 72
Forest Park -13.4% 71
Central Park -13.3% 70
Brown Springs -13.0% 69
Bush Hills -12.8% 68
College Hills -12.5% 67
Glen Iris -12.2% 66
Sun Valley -12.0% 65
South East Lake -11.6% 63
Germania Park -11.6% 63
South Titusville -11.3% 62
Killough Springs -11.1% 61
Ensley -10.8% 60
Riley -10.5% 58
Collegeville -10.5% 58
Echo Highlands -10.3% 57
Belview Heights -10.0% 56
West End Manor -9.7% 55
Garden Highlands -9.5% 54
Kingston -9.4% 53
Crestwood North -9.3% 52
Sandusky -9.1% 51
East Thomas -8.7% 49
Powderly -8.7% 49
Roebuck Springs -8.0% 47
South Woodlawn -8.0% 47
Thomas -7.9% 46
North Titusville -7.8% 45
Jones Valley -7.3% 44
North Avondale -7.1% 43
Roebuck -7.0% 42
Roosevelt -6.3% 41
Norwood -6.0% 39
Huffman -6.0% 39
Liberty Highlands -4.7% 38
Sherman Heights -4.6% 37
Five Points South -4.4% 36
Wahouma -3.7% 35
Arlington - West End -3.3% 34
Hooper City -2.8% 33
Southside -1.4% 32
Brummitt Heights 0.0% 22
Enon Ridge 0.0% 22
Ensley Highlands 0.0% 22
Hillman Park 0.0% 22
Woodland Park 0.0% 22
Crestline 0.0% 22
Overton 0.0% 22
Zion City 0.0% 22
Gate City 0.0% 22
Bridlewood 0.0% 22
Fountain Heights 1.6% 21
Oakwood Place 2.0% 20
Woodlawn 3.3% 19
Crestwood South 3.8% 18
North East Lake 5.1% 17
Grasselli Heights 11.1% 16
North Pratt 11.8% 15
Tarpley City 12.5% 13
Penfield Park 12.5% 13
Oxmoor 13.3% 12
Druid Hills 20.5% 11
Smithfield Estates 24.1% 10
Industrial Center 25.0% 9
Oak Ridge Park 28.6% 8
Oak Ridge 33.3% 7
Mason City 36.8% 6
Dolomite 45.8% 5
West Goldwire 50.0% 4
West Brownville 100.0% 1
Airport Highlands 100.0% 1
Maple Grove 100.0% 1

Key Citations:

  1. Cothran H. Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Programs: Why Existing Businesses Are Important. Food and Resource Economics Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. 1 Aug. 2006. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. .
  2. Virtanen M, Mika K, MaElovainio, Pekka Virtanen, and Jussi Vahtera. “Local Economy and Sickness Absence: Prospective Cohort Study.” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 59, no. 11
  3. Takano T, Nakamura K. An analysis of health levels and various indicators of urban environments for Healthy Cities projects. Epidemiol Community Health. 2001; 55: 263-270.