This national analysis is paired with fieldwork in Bozeman, Montana, one of the highest-performing rural-rooted entrepreneurial economies in the United States, to explore how different forms of capital reinforce one another and how local strengths can become meaningful economic advantages.

Bozeman is a case study in how a place can build from its own distinctive mix of assets. Interviews
with founders, investors, university leaders, and economic development practitioners show
something the national data cannot: how one form of capital can reinforce another, where
entrepreneurs encounter real constraints, and how local strengths that are difficult to measure can
become meaningful economic advantages.
Looking across the full analysis, a few key findings stand out:

How Community Assets Create the Conditions for Rural Entrepreneurship

What’s taking root across rural America?