On May 2, the Department of Community and Economic Development Acting Secretary, Neil Weaver, highlighted the importance of small businesses in the commonwealth.

Weaver also encouraged Pennsylvanians to support their favorite local shops during Small Business Week in Pennsylvania.

Small Business Week will take place from May 1 to May 7 this year.

“The commonwealth is home to more than 1 million small businesses that employ about 2.5 million workers, and we are celebrating them during this special week. I encourage every Pennsylvanian to take Small Business Week as an opportunity to support their favorite local businesses by visiting, shopping online, providing positive online reviews and recommendations, and tagging them on social media. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, so let’s do all that we can to support them this week, and every week,” said Acting Secretary Neil Weaver.

The Department of Community and Economic Development will be visiting local businesses in several cities across the commonwealth including Erie on May 5.

The tours will be celebrating the contributions that small businesses make to the culture and fabric of the communities in which they reside.

Below are some statistics of the diversity and impact of small businesses here in Pennsylvania:

  • 39.4 percent of small business owners are women 
  • 16.6 percent are racial minorities 
  • 4.2 percent are Hispanic/Latino 
  • 6.3 percent are veterans 
  • 13,690, or 88.2 percent, of Pennsylvania firms that exported goods in 2019 were small businesses – and small firms exported goods worth $12.5 billion 
  • For every $100 spent at a small business, $48 goes back into the local economy in which the business is located  

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You can find more information concerning Small Business Week in Pennsylvania by visiting the Department of Community and Economic Development’s website, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

For social media be sure to talk about your favorite local small business or businesses and tag them with #PASmallBiz or #ShopLocal.