CTData Collaborative Launches Business Activity Explorer to Provide Access to Data on Business Organizations

The Connecticut Data Collaborative has launched an online dashboard tracking business formations, closures, and net growth across Connecticut from 2010 to 2025, built using data compiled by the Connecticut Secretary of the State's Office.

The newly developed data platform, Connecticut Business Activity Explorer, captures every registered business as of 2025, providing insights into the state's economic landscape with data on business organization starts, stops, and net businesses in Connecticut. The platform offers a glimpse of activity at multiple geographic levels (state, planning region, and town) and detailed industry breakdowns.

This comprehensive tool will help to enable businesses to make better-informed decisions and conduct risk assessments based on business climate trends. It can be easily accessed here: https://www.ctdata.org/connecticut-business-activity-explorer. Data includes business organizations that are registered in Connecticut, regardless of their physical location.

Revealing Business Data

During the 12-month period from June 2024 thru May 2025, there were 61,340 business starts in Connecticut. March 2025 saw the highest number of business starts, 6,579, which was followed by January 2025 with 6,482. Leading the way among the state’s 9 planning regions were the Capitol Planning Region with 10,447 net businesses formed, followed by Western Planning Region with 8,536 and the Southern Planning Region with 5,994.

The net business organization activity by industry during the 12-month period, including total organization starts and stops, were led by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 4,935; Retail Trade, 3,323; Administrative and Support and Waste Management, 3,101; Health Care and Social Assistance, 2,341; Transportation and Warehousing, 1,657; Accommodation and Food Services, 1,615; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, 1,201; Manufacturing, 1,194; Finance and Insurance, 917; Educational Services, 844. (The categories

Other Services (except Public Administration) had a net of 3,812 and No Sector Specified had a net of 3,783.) It is not mandatory for business organizations to provide their industry code (NAICS code) when registering with CT SOTS.

“The Connecticut Business Activity Explorer provides easy access to a wide range of business formation data that can be of tremendous assistance to businesses currently in communities across the state, local businesses considering expansion here, and businesses evaluating a possible expansion into Connecticut,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the CT Data Collaborative. “The data can also be helpful to governments at the local level, and organizations that provide municipal services, allowing leaders to tap into in-depth data to aid their decision-making.”

The Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) also publishes Connecticut Town Profiles annually, and offers a range of statewide, regional and town-level data resources that can be helpful to state residents, businesses and organizations. They include: Town Profiles developed in coordination with AdvanceCT for each of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities; Connecticut Housing Profiles, created in partnership with The Partnership for Strong Communities; Connecticut Population Estimates Dashboard; and 2020 Demographics and Housing Explorer.

CT Data Earns Key Designations, Assists Local Businesses and Nonprofits

CTData works throughout Connecticut with nonprofits, advocates, policymakers, community groups, and funders to further the use of data to drive policy and improve programs and services, budgeting and decision-making at the state, regional and local levels.

Among its initiatives, CTData works with nonprofit organizations to develop Data Strategic Plans© to map out their use of data to further organizational missions and offers a range of programs and working groups through the CTData Academy. CTData operates a data “helpline” for assisting data users with obtaining, displaying, interpreting, and using data.

Among its areas of responsibility, CTData has been designated as the lead organization for the State of Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program and is a member of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP).

More information about CTData is available on the website at www.ctdata.org.