Analysis of the Data

he analysis of the data shows that more counties were represented in the smaller population size groups and fewer counties in the larger population size groups. This was mainly attributed to the fact that counties in the larger population groups were located in and around Oklahoma's two major urban areas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and the majority of Oklahoma's counties constituted more rural areas with relatively small populations. Furthermore, the population census data reveals that, 62% of Oklahoma's counties have populations that fall between 10,001 and 50,000.

Despite the various population groups, the data surprisingly showed that each group shared high average numbers of businesses per county in the same types of businesses, namely Legal Services, Restaurants, Automotive Repairs and Residential Building and Other Construction Services. This reveals the similarity in consumer demands across the state. These same population groups also displayed low average numbers of businesses per county in tourism related businesses such as Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Recreational Camps as well as Amusement Parks and Arcades. This suggests that a major opportunity for more tourism related businesses across the entire state in both rural and urban area.

The majority of counties with smaller populations have fewer businesses that are specialized, such as Advertising Agencies, Courier Services, Department Stores and Freight Trucking and Transportation. This data tendency can be attributed to the fact that these types of businesses are generally utilized by larger companies that are by and large based in larger metropolitan areas.

The data used in this report was obtained from the U.S Census Bureau's and was presented in formats similar to that of Iowa State University Extension's Retail Trade Analysis Report of the Average Number of Businesses Per Town 2000-2001.