This is a 45 percent increase over the previous year when there were 16,427 licenses issued.
Pennsylvania suffered a surge of unemployment and business closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The average annual unemployment rate in the state more than doubled in 2020 to 9.1 percent. This was the highest annual unemployment rate in Pennsylvania since 2003.
Comparison of business licenses issued by County and Year
| County | Issued in 2020 | Issued in 2019 | Percentage change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 421 | 402 | 4.7% |
| Allegheny | 9,144 | 8,233 | 11.1% |
| Armstrong | 205 | 234 | -12.4% |
| Beaver | 662 | 683 | -3.1% |
| Bedford | 64 | 80 | -20% |
| Berks | 1,383 | 1,355 | 2.1% |
| Blair | 463 | 503 | -8% |
| Bradford | 167 | 158 | 5.7% |
| Bucks | 3,806 | 3,686 | 3.3% |
| Butler | 437 | 399 | 9.5% |
| Cambria | 381 | 371 | 2.7% |
| Cameron | 21 | 17 | 23.5% |
| Carbon | 302 | 297 | 1.7% |
| Centre | 725 | 717 | 1.1% |
| Chester | 3,508 | 3,413 | 2.8% |
| Clarion | 63 | 75 | -16% |
| Clearfield | 155 | 151 | 2.6% |
| Clinton | 139 | 154 | -9.7% |
| Columbia | 286 | 294 | -2.7% |
| Crawford | 281 | 349 | -19.5% |
| Cumberland | 1,644 | 1,684 | -2.4% |
| Dauphin | 2,335 | 2,145 | 8.9% |
| Delaware | 3,945 | 2,892 | 36.4% |
| Elk | 56 | 67 | -16.4% |
| Erie | 1,153 | 1,111 | 3.8% |
| Fayette | 400 | 380 | 5.3% |
| Forest | 21 | 11 | 90.9% |
| Franklin | 740 | 678 | 9.1% |
| Fulton | 29 | 25 | 16% |
| Greene | 98 | 112 | -12.5% |
| Huntingdon | 145 | 139 | 4.3% |
| Indiana | 142 | 128 | 10.9% |
| Jefferson | 194 | 198 | -2% |
| Juniata | 81 | 86 | -5.8% |
| Lackawanna | 1,076 | 1,060 | 1.5% |
| Lancaster | 1,832 | 1,773 | 3.3% |
| Lawrence | 443 | 382 | 16% |
| Lebanon | 199 | 190 | 4.7% |
| Lehigh | 2,618 | 2,353 | 11.3% |
| Luzerne | 1,080 | 895 | 20.7% |
| Lycoming | 455 | 449 | 1.3% |
| Mckean | 45 | 57 | -21.1% |
| Mercer | 406 | 397 | 2.3% |
| Mifflin | 180 | 165 | 9.1% |
| Monroe | 944 | 949 | -0.5% |
| Montgomery | 5,853 | 5,330 | 9.8% |
| Montour | 97 | 76 | 27.6% |
| Northampton | 1,324 | 1,194 | 10.9% |
| Northumberland | 236 | 261 | -9.6% |
| Perry | 155 | 152 | 2% |
| Philadelphia | 23,822 | 16,427 | 45% |
| Pike | 116 | 99 | 17.2% |
| Potter | 63 | 55 | 14.5% |
| Schuylkill | 457 | 489 | -6.5% |
| Snyder | 166 | 175 | -5.1% |
| Somerset | 137 | 166 | -17.5% |
| Sullivan | 16 | 8 | 100% |
| Susquehanna | 116 | 142 | -18.3% |
| Tioga | 110 | 97 | 13.4% |
| Union | 188 | 190 | -1.1% |
| Venango | 109 | 88 | 23.9% |
| Warren | 57 | 65 | -12.3% |
| Washington | 807 | 882 | -8.5% |
| Wayne | 232 | 201 | 15.4% |
| Westmoreland | 1,464 | 1,315 | 11.3% |
| Wyoming | 30 | 37 | -18.9% |
| York | 2,158 | 2,050 | 5.3% |
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
Borough of Malvern• Wyncote• Borough of Langhorne• Collegeville• City of Easton• Borough of Doylestown• Borough of Mechanicsburg• Boothwyn• Grove• City of Philadelphia• Bensalem• Borough of Darby• Jenkintown Borough• Borough of Fountain Hill• Broomall• City of Pittsburgh• Borough of New Holland• West Chester Borough• Croydon• Borough of Sharon Hill• Borough of Sewickley• Borough of Phoenixville• City of Lansdale• Allentown• Ardmore• Borough of Pottstown• Borough of Carlisle• Borough of Norristown• Glenside• Borough of Upland• Borough of Collingdale• Borough of Yeadon• City of Coatesville• City of Williamsport• City of Hazleton• City of Harrisburg• Borough of Marcus Hook• City of York• Borough of Aldan• Brooklyn• Blue Bell• City of Dubois• Borough of Folcroft• Borough Of Norwood• Borough Of Clifton Heights• Chadds Ford• Drexel Hill• Cheltenham• Trevose• Flourtown• Fayetteville• Levittown• Bryn Mawr• Borough Of Brookhaven• City Of McKeesport• Borough Of Glenolden• Harleysville• Richboro• Borough Of Lansdowne
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