Indiana registers record number of new businesses in 2021

INDIANAPOLIS — A record-breaking number of new businesses were registered in Indiana in 2021, with nearly 100,000 new businesses registered, Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan announced Wednesday.

“2021 was an incredible and record-breaking year for business growth in Indiana,” Sullivan said. “The overwhelming majority of new businesses registered are based right here in Indiana, a sign of our state’s strong economic environment. Hoosiers know that when we say Indiana is open for business, we mean it.”

The Secretary of State’s Business Services Division is responsible for registering all business in the state of Indiana. Most users completed their registration through INBiz, Indiana’s business registration portal.

Overall, 94,670 businesses were registered in 2021. 86,416 filings were for businesses based in Indiana. Of these, just 9,623 filings were businesses headquartered outside of the state.

In total, registrations increased 26.3 percent in 2021 from 74,937 in 2020.

Created in 2016, INBiz serves as a single online location for numerous transactions with state government. The site provides a streamlined, customer-centric experience that reduces confusion, stress, and delays for Hoosier business owners.

Existing state partners include the Department of Revenue, Department of Workforce Development, Office of the Attorney General, Professional Licensing Agency, Office of Technology, the Indiana Small Business Development Center and the City of Greenwood. Users can access various services for these agencies through INBiz.

While the 23-percent growth represents a sizeable increase in business registrations, it is part of a five-year trend of growth that includes:

• 2017 - 54,693 registrations;

• 2018 - 58,465;

• 2019 - 62,391;

• 2020 - 74,937;

• 2021 - 94,670.

INBiz is the state of Indiana’s one-stop resource for registering and managing a business and ensuring existing businesses are compliant with state laws and regulations. INBiz utilizes state-of-the-art security features so businesses can feel safe about inputting business information into the system.

The locally-hosted INBiz call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. to answer questions and help new and existing users develop their profiles.