A new survey finds that Tallahassee, Florida, has twice the percentage of Black-owned businesses compared to the national average.
A LendingTree survey on U.S. cities with the highest and lowest numbers of Black-owned businesses ranks Leon County in Tallahassee among the top 15 nationwide for its percentage of Black-owned businesses. The findings are prompting local economic developers to explore new ways to support and launch even more Black-owned businesses in the area.
“We found that 7% of businesses in Tallahassee are Black-owned and that puts Tallahassee tied for 14th among the 50 biggest metros in the country,” Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst for Lending Tree, told
WFSU.The survey revealed that out of 7,828 businesses in Tallahassee, 549 — or 7% — are Black-owned, doubling the national average. Katrina Tuggerson, president of the Capital City Chamber of Commerce, sees the study as a sign of positive progress — and she credits Florida A&M University for playing a significant role.
“It’s the largest Black business in the state of Florida. So if you look at what trickles down in the community that holds FAMU, it can’t be nothing but greatness,” she told WCTV.
However, despite the percentages, the numbers still fall short of Leon County’s Black population.
“When you contrast that to the fact that about 32% of the population of the city is Black, there’s a lot of room for growth,” Schultz said.
Darryl Jones, who oversees minority, women, and small business programs at Leon County’s Office of Economic Vitality, emphasized that the community offers a wealth of resources to support business growth. While there is still progress to be made, the OEV is pleased to see local Black-owned business numbers moving in the right direction.
“Resource partners like the FAMU Small Business Development Center, DOMI Station, Jim Moran Institute,” Jones said. “And then you have lending partners like the FAMU Federal Credit Union and the Smart Steps Loan Program.”