Business Insights & Reports

Data-driven articles auto-generated from Census Bureau, BLS, and IRS data. Updated as new government data is released.

The 15 Industries With the Highest Business Failure Rate in 2023

Which businesses are most likely to close? We analyzed Census Bureau data on 608 industries to find the ones with the highest closure rates.

The gap between the highest and lowest paying industries is staggering. Top-paying industries average $272K/year while the lowest pay just $20K.

These industries are creating jobs at rates far above the national average. The fastest is growing employment by +17.55% per year.

Some industries have so many businesses per capita that competition is fierce. Here are the most crowded markets based on firms per 100K people.

Not all businesses are risky. These industries have closure rates under 4.74% — meaning businesses here tend to stick around.

Which businesses generate the most revenue per worker? These industries produce $1546K+ per employee annually.

You don't need a fortune to start a business. These industries have low startup costs and solid profit margins.

Some businesses need huge teams to operate. These industries average 2194+ employees per firm.

Want to work alone? These industries average under 4 employees per firm — many are one-person operations.

You don't need a big team to make big money. These tiny businesses (1-4 employees) average $3410K+ in annual revenue.

In these industries, revenue per employee far exceeds what workers are paid — meaning more goes to owners and overhead.