Measuring rural entrepreneurial ecosystems: A robust approach to place-based development

Amanda Weinstein, Adam Dewbury, Lindsey Elliott, Olivia Galloway, John Hall, Drew Rosebush · 2026 · Local Development & Society

Summary. Rural entrepreneurship requires measuring multiple dimensions simultaneously, not single indicators. This paper creates a Rural Entrepreneurship Index for all US counties, combining self-employment, business entry and exit, and innovation metrics. The analysis finds that sustained business formation is the strongest indicator of healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems across rural America, while innovation remains concentrated geographically. The index provides a reliable tool for designing place-based rural development policies.

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@article{weinstein-2026-measuring-rural-entrepreneurial-ecosystems-robust,
  title   = {Measuring rural entrepreneurial ecosystems: A robust approach to place-based development},
  author  = {Amanda Weinstein and Adam Dewbury and Lindsey Elliott and Olivia Galloway and John Hall and Drew Rosebush},
  journal = {Local Development & Society},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1080/26883597.2026.2726361},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1080/26883597.2026.2726361}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Measuring rural entrepreneurial ecosystems: A robust approach to place-based development
AU  - Amanda Weinstein
AU  - Adam Dewbury
AU  - Lindsey Elliott
AU  - Olivia Galloway
AU  - John Hall
AU  - Drew Rosebush
JO  - Local Development & Society
PY  - 2026
DO  - 10.1080/26883597.2026.2726361
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1080/26883597.2026.2726361
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1080/26883597.2026.2726361

Countries

United States

Regions

North America

Categories

entrepreneurship, rural-data-and-definitions, regional-innovation-systems, general-innovation

Added

2026-10-01