Rural small business trends are different from the national small business trends. That’s why I give rural and small town business trends extra attention here.
Top 10 Trends in Our Favor for Small Towns
Sometimes it feels like all the trends for rural places are negative, but I see a lot of positive trends for small towns. This is a topic I update frequently for presentations and events.
- 2014 presentation: 10 trends in rural’s favor (video)
- 10 Trends in Our Favor for Small Towns (graphic)
Annual trends reports
Enjoy these articles and reports with my view of the rural and small town trends. It’s fun to see how things shift over time.
- Rural tourism trends say small towns are still cool (2023)
- Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors (2023)
- 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses
- Top 5 Rural and small town trends 2022
- Two 2019 small business trends that are good for small towns
- Small towns as testing grounds for future technology (2018)
- Top Small Town and Rural Small Business Trends For 2017
- Rural retail trend 2016: diversification
- 2014 Rural Small Business Trends – 2014 Trends PDF – 11MB
- Changing travel motivations favor small towns (2013)
- Small Town Business Trends in 2012
- 20 Trends Driving Rural Small Business in 2011 – PDF Report of all 20 trends
- Trends for Rural Small Businesses in 2009
- Small town business trends for 2008
Reprints and Permissions
- You may share any of my trends reports with your email list or print copies for meetings as long as you credit the author as Becky McCray and include a link to smallbizsurvival.com/trends
Citations:
My trends reports are cited in the following academic papers, research and other publications:
- Using social media to navigate changing rural markets: the case of small community retail and service businesses, Jihyeong Son & Linda S. Niehm, Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 2021, 33:6, 619-637, DOI: 10.1080/08276331.2021.1871711
- Bridging The Gap Between Entrepreneurship Education And Small Rural Businesses: An Experiential Service-Learning Approach, Niehm, Linda S; Fiore, Ann Marie; Hurst, Jessica; Lee, Youngji; Sadachar, Amrut. Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship; Durant Vol. 26, Iss. 3, (Spring 2015): 129-161.
- Bringing Local Foods to Main Streets, Sarah Hansen, Forum Journal, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Volume 26, Number 3, Spring 2012, pp. 28-33
- The Garden City Telegram (Kansas) – Trends to keep an eye on
- Farm Bureau‘s Rural Community Building – Top 9 Rural Small Business Trends for 2012 By Sabrina Matteson
- Bank of I.D.E.A.S. by Peter Kenyon (Australia) – Community and Economic Development Matters Newsletter – Top 5 Rural and Small Town Trends for 2022 and Beyond
- Rural LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) newsletter – February 2022, Small Town Trends
- Small Business Labs – Top Rural and Small Town Trends for 2022
- Small Business Labs – 2017 Rural and Small Town Trends (and Webinar)
- The Rural Blog, Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Census, health reform, ‘shop local’ campaigns top 2010 rural small business trends to watch
- Top 7 Small Business Trends in 2012 for Frugal Entrepreneurs, by Adam Gottlieb, Frugal Entrepreneur
Don’t miss out
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