This is an 18 percent increase over the previous year when there were 3,508 licenses issued.
Pennsylvania suffered a surge of unemployment and business closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The average annual unemployment rate in the state more than doubled in 2020 to 9.1 percent. This was the highest annual unemployment rate in Pennsylvania since 2003.
Comparison of business licenses issued by County and Year
| County | Issued in 2021 | Issued in 2020 | Percentage change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 505 | 421 | 20% |
| Allegheny | 10,351 | 9,144 | 13.2% |
| Armstrong | 282 | 205 | 37.6% |
| Beaver | 804 | 662 | 21.5% |
| Bedford | 103 | 64 | 60.9% |
| Berks | 1,630 | 1,383 | 17.9% |
| Blair | 524 | 463 | 13.2% |
| Bradford | 183 | 167 | 9.6% |
| Bucks | 4,474 | 3,806 | 17.6% |
| Butler | 521 | 437 | 19.2% |
| Cambria | 481 | 381 | 26.2% |
| Cameron | 16 | 21 | -23.8% |
| Carbon | 432 | 302 | 43% |
| Centre | 850 | 725 | 17.2% |
| Chester | 4,138 | 3,508 | 18% |
| Clarion | 84 | 63 | 33.3% |
| Clearfield | 182 | 155 | 17.4% |
| Clinton | 187 | 139 | 34.5% |
| Columbia | 300 | 286 | 4.9% |
| Crawford | 406 | 281 | 44.5% |
| Cumberland | 2,139 | 1,644 | 30.1% |
| Dauphin | 2,782 | 2,335 | 19.1% |
| Delaware | 4,367 | 3,945 | 10.7% |
| Elk | 103 | 56 | 83.9% |
| Erie | 1,460 | 1,153 | 26.6% |
| Fayette | 410 | 400 | 2.5% |
| Forest | 9 | 21 | -57.1% |
| Franklin | 797 | 740 | 7.7% |
| Fulton | 24 | 29 | -17.2% |
| Greene | 129 | 98 | 31.6% |
| Huntingdon | 189 | 145 | 30.3% |
| Indiana | 174 | 142 | 22.5% |
| Jefferson | 253 | 194 | 30.4% |
| Juniata | 104 | 81 | 28.4% |
| Lackawanna | 1,344 | 1,076 | 24.9% |
| Lancaster | 2,169 | 1,832 | 18.4% |
| Lawrence | 478 | 443 | 7.9% |
| Lebanon | 235 | 199 | 18.1% |
| Lehigh | 3,251 | 2,618 | 24.2% |
| Luzerne | 1,329 | 1,080 | 23.1% |
| Lycoming | 520 | 455 | 14.3% |
| Mckean | 71 | 45 | 57.8% |
| Mercer | 413 | 406 | 1.7% |
| Mifflin | 183 | 180 | 1.7% |
| Monroe | 1,235 | 944 | 30.8% |
| Montgomery | 6,525 | 5,853 | 11.5% |
| Montour | 102 | 97 | 5.2% |
| Northampton | 1,525 | 1,324 | 15.2% |
| Northumberland | 283 | 236 | 19.9% |
| Perry | 182 | 155 | 17.4% |
| Philadelphia | 27,938 | 23,822 | 17.3% |
| Pike | 140 | 116 | 20.7% |
| Potter | 64 | 63 | 1.6% |
| Schuylkill | 534 | 457 | 16.8% |
| Snyder | 178 | 166 | 7.2% |
| Somerset | 151 | 137 | 10.2% |
| Sullivan | 32 | 16 | 100% |
| Susquehanna | 157 | 116 | 35.3% |
| Tioga | 149 | 110 | 35.5% |
| Union | 201 | 188 | 6.9% |
| Venango | 139 | 109 | 27.5% |
| Warren | 63 | 57 | 10.5% |
| Washington | 936 | 807 | 16% |
| Wayne | 296 | 232 | 27.6% |
| Westmoreland | 1,725 | 1,464 | 17.8% |
| Wyoming | 51 | 30 | 70% |
| York | 2,531 | 2,158 | 17.3% |
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
Borough of Malvern• Paoli• Borough of Kennett Square• Westtown• Borough of Parkesburg• Borough of Atglen• Grove• City of Philadelphia• Devon• Borough of Darby• Frazer Township• Toughkenamon• Nottingham Township• Spring City• East Bradford• Lionville• Exton• West Chester Borough• Borough of Phoenixville• Cochranville• Linwood• Berwyn• Borough of Honey Brook• Borough of Pottstown• Borough of Schwenksville• Thorndale• Borough of Elverson• Chesterbrook• City of Coatesville• Borough of Denver• City of Harrisburg• Borough of Marcus Hook• Borough of Oxford• Borough of Aldan• Kennett• Peters Township• Borough of Avondale• Borough of Downingtown• Chadds Ford• West Brandywine• Morgantown• Lincoln University Cdp• Borough Of Brookhaven• Gap• Borough Of Lansdowne• Audubon
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