Wonkbook: A very bad sign for all but America's biggest cities

Sponsored by Qualcomm | By Jim Tankersley Americans in small towns and rural communities are dramatically less likely to start new businesses than they have been in the past, an unprecedented trend that jeopardizes the economic future of vast swaths of the country. The recovery from the Great Recession has seen a nationwide slowdown in the creation of new …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   Washington Post illustration; iStock By Jim Tankersley Americans in small towns and rural communities are dramatically less likely to start new businesses than they have been in the past, an unprecedented trend that jeopardizes the economic future of vast swaths of the country. The recovery from the Great Recession has seen a nationwide slowdown in the creation of new businesses, or start-ups. What growth has occurred has been largely confined to a handful of large and innovative areas, including Silicon Valley in California, New York City and parts of Texas, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan research and advocacy organization that was founded by the Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sean Parker and small group of investors. That concentration of start-up activity is unusual, economists say. In the early 1990s recovery, 125 counties combined to generate half the total new business establishments in the country. In this recovery, just 20 counties have generated half the growth. The data suggest highly populated areas are not adding start-ups faster now than they did in the past; they appear simply to be treading water. But rural areas have seen their business formation fall off a cliff. Read the rest on Wonkblog.   Map of the day Colorado's residents are especially likely to use alcohol and other drugs, according to a new federal survey. Keith Humphreys has more. Top policy tweets "SCOTUS opinion today in a nutshell - striking 2 jurors because they're black is 2 more than the Constitution allows" -- @AriMelber "Don't believe Wall Street and regulators when they say capital is money banks have to 'set aside' for a rainy day. https://t.co/yP83IlACb9" -- @pdacosta "Ebola Coordinator: Zika is coming, but we're far from ready https://t.co/qtuVuAa3KR" -- @Atul_Gawande ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog Where people drink the most booze and do the most drugs There's a group of states where people are most likely to drink too much and do too many drugs. By Keith Humphreys  •  Read more »   A very bad sign for all but America’s biggest cities It's a trend that jeopardizes the economic future of vast swaths of the country. By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   What it would actually take to reduce rents in America's most expensive city Some of the options are pretty grim. By Emily Badger  •  Read more »   When the mosquitoes will be biting in your state Google data show how the contours of mosquito season are different across the country. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   Why the sugar industry hates the FDA’s new Nutrition Facts label "It has to be scored as a huge win." By Roberto A. Ferdman  •  Read more »   Oklahoma isn’t the only state taking big steps to limit abortions Before Oklahoma passed a bill that would make performing abortions a felony, five other states this month quietly advanced measures to curb access to the procedure. By Danielle Paquette  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071