The U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 Business Applications by County on July 1 within the Business Formation Statistics (BFS) area. The BFS measures business initiation activity and the cycle from initiation to realized business formation, and gives an early look at business formation activity within the U.S. at a detailed state and regional level.

Business applications are indicated by applications for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS. In 2020, there were 495,251 applications in Florida, an increase of 26.8 percent over 2019, exceeding both Texas and California with the most applications by state.

Volusia County ranked 13th out of 67 counties with 8,492 applications. This is a 25-percent increase over 2019.

See all the data from the release at www.census.gov/econ/bfs/index.html.

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— Compiled by Business Editor Joe Crews