ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus (covid-19) has caused an unprecedented impact on both the health and economic well-being of the United States. Small businesses have been particularly affected amid the outbreak of covid-19. Based on the first nine weeks of U.S. Small Business Pulse Survey data, this study examines the impacts of covid-19 on small businesses across the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States with an individual growth model. The results demonstrate significant disparities in impacts across regions and over time. Although the death incidents directly impacted business operations, the social, economic, demographic vulnerability, and public policies were additionally critical to our understanding of these patterns. The findings directly contribute to scholarship on regional resilience under pandemic disruption from the perspective of small businesses. More specifically, our work sheds light on the relationship between regional socioeconomic vulnerability and small-business resilience. The results provide rich implications for practices and public policymaking.
