Iowa 2021 Snapshot | Early-Stage Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is important for job creation, innovation, and the economy. This brief provides a snapshot of various indicators related to early-stage entrepreneurial activity in Iowa. DOWNLOAD THE IOWA 2021 SNAPSHOT [PDF] RATE OF NEW ENTREPRENEURS How many people are becoming entrepreneurs? The rate of new entrepreneurs in Iowa has been below the national rate in most years since 2004. In Iowa, the rate of new entrepreneurs in 2021 was 0.22%, meaning that 2.2 out of 1,000 adults became new entrepreneurs, on average, in a given month. This compares to 0.36% nationally. VIEW IOWA DATA OPPORTUNITY SHARE OF NEW ENTREPRENEURS How many new entrepreneurs created their business out of opportunity? The opportunity share of new entrepreneurs has been higher in Iowa compared to the rest of the nation since 2007, with the exception of 2019. The opportunity share of new entrepreneurs was 86.9% in Iowa in 2021, compared to 80.9% nationally. VIEW IOWA DATA STARTUP EARLY JOB CREATION How many jobs are created by new businesses? Startups in Iowa created fewer jobs per 1,000 people compared to the national level in all years since 1996. There were 2.8 jobs created by startups per 1,000 people in Iowa in 2021, compared to 4.7 jobs created by startups at the national level. VIEW IOWA DATA STARTUP EARLY SURVIVAL RATE How many businesses survive their first year? The share of businesses in Iowa that survived at least one year was above the national level for all years since 1996. In 2021, 83.8% of startups in Iowa survived at least one year, compared to 81.7% of startups at the national level. VIEW IOWA DATA