Microbusiness Activity Index
Developed for measuring and comparing microbusiness activity across communities, over time.
How the Index Works
Microbusinesses have an outsized impact on their local economies across the United States, and the Microbusiness Activity Index (MAI) introduces a new way to track their activity and your community’s economic outcomes.
For every 1 point increase on the Index in a county, there’s:
- An increase of 0.3% in the percentage of households earning over $60,000 in household income
- A drop of 0.1% in the local unemployment rate
GoDaddy Venture Forward has partnered with economists at the UCLA Anderson Forecast to develop this single composite score for each city and county across United States. Scores increase or decrease quarterly in response to observed changes in the 3 subindices making up the composite, which are: Infrastructure, Participation, and Engagement.
The map to the right is a snapshot of MAI scores at the county level across the U.S. for Q1 2022. Dark blue counties show strength in microbusiness activity, while dark teal/green counties have relatively lower scores. Learn what drives microbusiness formation and growth in this White Paper.
Search for Your Community
There are thousands of counties captured by the Index. Use our search tool to see the latest score as of Q2Y22.
U.S. Index Ranking By County
Below is a snapshot of counties with a population of 500k+ based on MAI scores.
Top 5 Counties in the U.S. (pop = 500K+)
| County | MAI Score |
|---|---|
| San Francisco County, CA | 122.4 |
| Fairfax County, VA | 120.8 |
| DuPage County, IL | 120.7 |
| Montgomery County, MD | 119.7 |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 119.7 |
Bottom 5 Counties in the U.S. (pop = 500K+)
| County | MAI Score |
|---|---|
| El Paso County, TX | 103.5 |
| Bronx County, NY | 103.5 |
| Plymouth County, MA | 102.0 |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 101.3 |
| Bristol County, MA | 99.2 |
The Latest Reports
Updated quarterly, the MAI provides the most up-to-date snapshot of microbusiness health and performance. Through one score distilling over 15 signals measuring: the infrastructure in place for them to take root and thrive, the participation of local entrepreneurs in creating these ventures, and the engagement levels of the local entrepreneurs with their target markets.
The data is available freely for download above and analyzed quarterly in reports from UCLA Anderson Forecast at the city, county and state-level, for actionable insights for policymakers.
Breakdown
The components of the Microbusiness Activity Index
Infrastructure
How ready is your area in terms of physical and intellectual infrastructure needed to access and use the internet?
Participation
What is the number of GoDaddy online microbusinesses created and run by residents in the area?
Engagement
How active are the websites created in each community?