While many places around the country are seeing a decline in business applications so far this year, Washington state – including Benton and Franklin counties – continue to see strong growth. 

While business applications grew steadily after the pandemic, they appear to be faltering now, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. There were 4.5% fewer business applications in February 2025 compared to a year prior nationally. The downward trend was most pronounced in the South, where there was a 9.5% decline. 

However, the West saw growth in the past year, and Washington state is at the head of the pack with 88.6% growth, recording 8,008 applications in February 2024 compared to 15,104 in February 2025. 

“Possible reasons for growth are various, such as Washington’s strong tech sector, local business development efforts or state policies and assistance,” said an analysis by the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis at Eastern Washington University for Benton-Franklin Trends. 

Benton and Franklin counties business applications weren’t as high as the state overall, but still in positive territory. Combined, the counties recorded 3,381 business applications in 2024, up 5.4% from the year prior and the highest rate since 2017, according to the institute’s data.