Census: 36,800 Fewer Businesses in 2010

A new report out Tuesday from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that American businesses and workers took a beating in 2010. 

A few of the lowlights:

• Total employment in 2010 dropped 2.5 million workers
• The number of U.S. businesses in 2010 was 7.4 million, a plunge of 36,800 from the previous year
• Los Angeles County suffered the largest drop in total annual payroll, declining $2 billion from the previous year
• Construction took the largest hit of all business sectors, dropping 4.2 percent

The business sectors that made the biggest gains were utilities, healthcare, and social assistance, which rose 1.9 percent from the previous year.

Headline image by Pete Jelliffe.