Ben Taylor, writing for FindtheCompany, highlights some trends (mostly from 2007 to 2015) found in Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000, a list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America. Here are a couple highlights:
“On a metro level, we see that New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles hold the top three spots, positions they’ve held consistently since 2007. Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco have shuffled positions over the last seven years, but each has consistently placed among the top 10. That big metro areas are home to a large number of growing companies isn’t all that surprising. Instead, the biggest surprise is just how many more companies reside in these areas than just eight years ago. Almost across the board, the number of Inc. 5000 companies in these regions has nearly doubled since 2007—further evidence that hot, private companies are migrating toward urban centers.”
“In 2007, the three hottest industries by revenue were construction, manufacturing and health. In 2015, only one of three has continued to prosper. By revenue, health was the single biggest industry on the 2015 list, with over $24B among all health companies combined. Compare that to health’s comparatively modest $13B in 2007. Construction in particular has seen consistent declines, thanks in large part to the 2008 financial crisis. Over the last eight years, the industry’s total revenue among Inc. 5000 companies has fallen from $27B to $8B—a 70 percent decline. Other notable winners include IT services (from 5th in 2007 to 2nd in 2015) and transportation (23rd in 2007; 4th in 2015).”