BUSINESS PULSE : SMALL BUSINESS IN ORANGE COUNTY : Diversity Creates Healthy Economy
Over the past two decades, Orange County has enjoyed what economists call a relatively recession-proof economy.
The secret is the unusual diversity of the county’s business base: many small companies add up to a large and healthy economy.
It is an economy that will generate a gross county product--the value of all goods and services produced locally--of $65 billion this year, according to estimates by economist James Doti, acting president of Chapman College in Orange.
There are so many businesses in the county that no single company or industry dominates its fate. One segment or another almost always is running at a high level of activity, compensating for any loss of jobs and economic output in another segment.
“It is true that bigger businesses are more efficient than small businesses,” said Ralph Sabin, emerging business specialist with the accounting firm of Ernst & Whinney. “But business runs in cycles, and when a big business goes down, it is a disaster for the community that has become dependent on it. With a lot of small businesses, you lose efficiency, but calamities that affect entire economies are less likely to happen.”
What follows is a detailed breakdown of small business in Orange County, as catalogued in Contacts Influential, a business resource publication.
SMALL BUSINESSES BY CITY & COMMUNITY
Total 50 or Fewer Employees City Businesses Total % Santa Ana 8,720 8,381 96.1 Anaheim 8,562 8,155 95.2 Orange** 5,372 5,173 96.3 Costa Mesa 4,954 4,761 96.1 Newport Beach 4,415 4,297 97.3 Huntington Beach 4,245 4,139 97.5 Irvine 4,232 3,891 91.9 Garden Grove 3,469 3,359 96.8 Fullerton 3,178 3,060 96.3 Tustin 2,302 2,223 96.6 Laguna Hills 1,950 1,911 98.0 Westminster 1,864 1,824 97.9 Buena Park* 1,792 1,691 83.3 Fountain Valley 1,657 1,595 96.3 Brea 1,559 1,493 95.8 Mission Viejo 1,556 1,514 97.3 La Habra 1,266 1,237 97.7 El Toro 1,218 1,206 99.1 San Clemente 1,061 1,049 98.9 Laguna Beach 1,026 1,017 99.1 Placentia 914 898 98.3 Laguna Niguel 829 817 98.6 Los Alamitos 773 747 96.6 San Juan Capistrano 773 756 97.8 Cypress 768 746 97.1 Stanton 680 664 97.7 Yorba Linda 642 625 97.4 Dana Point 474 463 97.7 Corona del Mar 465 462 99.4 Seal Beach 378 367 97.1 Capistrano Beach 162 161 99.4 Sunset Beach 51 50 98.0 Trabuco Canyon 28 28 100.0 Silverado Canyon 10 10 100.0 Rancho Santa Margarita 8 7 87.5 TOTAL 71,369 68,857 96.5
* Includes La Palma ** Includes Villa Park
Source: Contacts Influential Marketing Information
