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Key Findings
The increase in the Park Towns’ self-employment rate for people 16 years of age or older from 1970 to 2020 was greater than the increases for the U.S. and was similar to New York State.
The Park Towns’ 2020 self-employment rate of 6.7% was higher than the rate of New York State and the U.S.
The Park Towns’ 2020 self-employment rate of 6.7% was higher than that of 2,093 counties, home to 77% of the population of the U.S.
The Park Towns’ 2020 self-employment rate of 6.7% was higher than that of 1,170 rural counties, home to 74% of the population of Rural America.
Table 10: Change in Self-Employment Rate, of People 16 years and Older, in New York and U.S., 1970–2020
| Area | 1970 | 2020 | Change | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York State | 3.4% | 5.6% | +2.2 | +65.5% |
| Rural NY Towns | 7.0% | 7.3% | +0.3 | +3.7% |
| Park Towns | 4.4% | 6.7% | +2.3 | +53.4% |
| Split Towns | 4.2% | 5.9% | +1.7 | +40.5% |
| United States | 4.2% | 5.8% | +1.6 | +39.1% |
The self-employment rate of people 16 years and older in a region is an important economic indicator, especially for rural areas, which traditionally have seen much higher rates of self-employment than metropolitan areas. The self-employment rate grew rapidly in the U.S. and New York State from 1970 to 2020, while showing modest growth for rural areas in the Northeast U.S. and major losses in other rural areas. The drop in the self-employment rate is an alarming trend in rural areas because these regions have long supported high levels of small businesses and family farms.
The growth in the self-employment rate in the 61 Park Towns in these years was an impressive +2.3 percentage points. This exceeded the national gain of +1.6 percentage points, and was similar to the New York State gain of +2.2 percentage points. In this way, the Park Towns tracked much closer to the New York State experience than to that of other rural areas, many of which experienced significant losses in self-employment. The −1.2 and −2.5 percentage point declines show an upheaval in the economy of Rural America outside the Northeast U.S.
Figure 42: Comparison of changes in self-employment rate, of people 16 years and older, from 1970 to 2020 between the Park Towns and New York State towns, cities, and boroughs
From 1970 to 2020, 74% of the towns, etc., in New York State had a lower growth in their self-employment rate than did the Park Towns. These places were home to 6.1 million people, 30% of New York State’s population.
667 New York State towns, etc., with lower growth in their self-employment rate from 1970 to 2020 than that of the Park Towns
236 New York State towns, etc., with higher growth in their self-employment rate from 1970 to 2020 than that of the Park Towns
Figure 43: Comparison of the self-employment rate, of people 16 years and older, in 2020 between the Park Towns and New York State towns, cities, and boroughs
In 2020, 65% of towns, etc., in New York State had a lower self-employment rate than did the Park Towns. These places were home to 15.7 million people, 79% of New York State's population.
586 New York State towns, etc., with lower total self-employment in 2020 than that of the Park Towns
320 New York State towns, etc., with a higher total self-employment in 2020 than that of the Park Towns