Business starts increased 1.9% in the third quarter.

The starts edged up to 31,728 from 31,133 for the same 1983 period, according to Dun & Bradstreet Corp. In 1984, however, “the number of business starts is growing at a record pace,” said Joseph W. Duncan, the company’s corporate economist and chief statistician. “While the increase in the third quarter is lower than the 9.3% increase in the first quarter and the 6% increase in the second quarter, the total number of starts in the first three quarters is up a strong 4.6% over the same period in 1983.”