Microbusiness activity in Stanford rose by 20.2% — Fortune
In the United States, microbusiness activity in Stanford, California, rose by 20.2% from July 2025 to June 2026. This was the highest figure among college towns analyzed by GoDaddy, Fortune reports.
The five cities with the fastest growth also included Warrensburg, Missouri, where microbusiness activity increased by 16.1%; Newark, Delaware, by 16%; Elon, North Carolina, by 15.5%; and Cortland, New York, by 14.6%.
How college towns were selected
GoDaddy combined city-level microbusiness data with information from the U.S. Census Bureau and federal education data. The sample included communities with populations of at least 10,000, a university or college with at least 5,000 students, and a share of undergraduate and graduate students of no less than 20% of the population.
Alexandra Rosen, an economist and head of GoDaddy's Small Business Research Lab, said that the top 10 included both technology hubs such as Stanford and smaller communities, including towns with institutions in the State University of New York system.
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Microbusinesses are not limited to students
The study does not distinguish students or recent graduates among microbusiness owners. Such a business may belong to a professor publishing a book, a local resident opening a coffee shop, or a student testing their own entrepreneurial idea.
The article notes that artificial intelligence tools make it easier for founders to prepare business plans, build websites, and test ideas. According to business school accreditor AACSB, the number of bachelor's programs in entrepreneurship grew by nearly 25% between the 2017–2018 and 2019–2020 academic years.
At the same time, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos cautioned young people against viewing successful entrepreneurs who dropped out of school as a universal model. He said that he founded Amazon at age 30 after graduating from Princeton University and gaining professional experience.
