Kentucky 2020 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 Kentucky. DOWNLOAD THE KENTUCKY 2020 SNAPSHOT [PDF] RATE OF NEW ENTREPRENEURS How many people are becoming entrepreneurs? Since 2015, the rate of new entrepreneurs in Kentucky has been below the national rate. In Kentucky, the rate of new entrepreneurs in 2020 was 0.27%, meaning that 2.7 out of every 1,000 adults became new entrepreneurs, on average, in a given month. This compares to 0.34% nationally. VIEW KENTUCKY DATA OPPORTUNITY SHARE OF NEW ENTREPRENEURS How many new entrepreneurs created their business out of opportunity? The opportunity share of new entrepreneurs was lower in Kentucky compared to the rest of the nation in 2020. The opportunity share of new entrepreneurs was 79.4% in Kentucky in 2020, compared to 80.9% nationally. VIEW KENTUCKY DATA STARTUP EARLY JOB CREATION How many jobs are created by new businesses? Since 1996, the number of jobs created by startups in Kentucky has been below the national level. There were 3.7 jobs created by startups per 1,000 people in Kentucky in 2020, compared to 5.0 jobs created by startups at the national level. VIEW KENTUCKY DATA STARTUP EARLY SURVIVAL RATE How many businesses survive their first year? In recent years, the share of startups that survive at least one year has been higher in Kentucky compared to the national level. In 2020, 79.1% of startups in Kentucky survived at least one year, compared to 78.1% of startups at the national level. VIEW KENTUCKY DATA