FL. Small Businesses on the Rise

Despite a slow economy and weak job market, small businesses in Florida grew by 5.3% last year, according to a report the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy.

In Florida, where 98.8% of the state's businesses qualify as small businesses, fully half of the state's non-farm employment came from companies with 500 or fewer employees. And small business owners' income increased by 2.6% to $31 billion in 2002.

Business bankruptcies in the state decreased 4.9% last year, and business failures dropped 4.3%. The industries with the most small business employees were those in the fast-growing healthcare and social assistance areas. Link to Report