More than 60,500 U.S. Businesses Reopened in the Last Three Months

By Emma Nitzsche 

According to new Yelp data, more than 60,500 businesses reopened throughout the U.S. last quarter. The results represent the highest volume of reopenings since the previous year and the greatest number of startups since 2004.

With more people vaccinated, thousands of new restaurants and retail operations are opening to meet consumer demand. 592 gyms, 644 waxing salons, 1,214 hair salons, 1,385 brunch restaurants, 531 massage therapy, and 275 cosmetic and beauty supply stores reopened from April to June.

According to the Yelp Economic Average report, the high number of business reopenings corresponds with the peak vaccination rate. In April, 38,725 businesses reopened, while the CDC recorded 3.4 shots administered every day.

Yelp’s research might be the tip of the iceberg. The data provided by the review website only represents companies that are listed on Yelp and offer services to consumers.

The U.S. Census estimated that nearly 450,000 applications to start new companies were filed in June alone. While not every application will materialize into an official business, the application rate is almost twice as high this year as it was at the beginning of the pandemic. In some cases, people have turned side jobs into full-time positions after a massive wave of layoffs followed lockdown procedures.

Consumer behavior has ultimately dictated the types of new businesses created. Earlier this year, Yelp said one-third of new businesses formed were home services such as lawn care, home cleaning, and painting. When the government slowly lifted restrictions, thousands of new restaurants opened as Americans could eat inside restaurant establishments again.

With fewer people using public transportation, auto services were in high demand. More car-repair shops and automotive-relative businesses sprung up to meet the need of consumers. Additionally, there has been a surge in new and used car purchases as some people moved out of cities to escape the pandemic and could not rely on ride-sharing apps.

With businesses opening, companies like Coca-Cola can sell more products and potentially deflect inflation concerns. Coca-Cola Co.’s sales beat expectations in the second quarter as it saw a significant increase in business after diminished sales last year.  With coke products sold in a sundry of the new businesses created, the results show that more places are opening their doors, and consumers are returning to restaurants, amusement parks, and stadiums.