Kokomo, Indiana Small Businesses: Howard County, IN Data and Funding Help

Small Business Funding in Kokomo, Indiana: Where the County's Firms Sit

Howard County, IN is a county of small employers with a few large ones. Of its 1,813 employer establishments in 2023, 838 had fewer than five employees, and only 10 had 250 or more (County Business Patterns 2023). The rest fall between: 407 with five to nine employees, 279 with ten to nineteen, 200 with twenty to forty-nine, and 79 with fifty to two hundred forty-nine (the counts of 250 or more and of 50 to 249 are our sums of the published size classes).

Manufacturing had only 70 establishments but 9,490 paid employees and $744.8 million in 2023 payroll, the most of any sector. Retail trade had the most establishments and 4,642 employees. Each sector's funding needs differ, which is why the industry pages start from the cash cycle of the trade rather than a product.

Working Capital in Kokomo, Indiana: The Payroll Picture

Howard County, IN employer establishments paid $1.67 billion in wages to 31,554 employees in 2023 (CBP). Pay levels differ widely by sector. Dividing each sector's 2023 payroll by its employees gives rough averages (our arithmetic on CBP 2023): about $78,500 per employee in manufacturing, $54,500 in health care and social assistance, $29,900 in retail trade and $17,800 in accommodation and food services.

Those averages matter for funding because a business's wage bill falls due on a fixed schedule, whether or not customers have paid. The working capital page covers payroll funding, and the blog post on using a business loan to pay wages works an example through.

Kokomo, Indiana Construction: Permits and Projects

Residential permit counts are one county-level signal for builders and remodelers. Howard County, IN authorized 138 new privately owned housing units in 2023, 194 in 2024 and 106 in 2025, according to the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey. These are county totals of new residential units, not commercial projects, and they do not include remodels.

Construction had 131 employer establishments in the county in 2023, and 62.6% had fewer than five employees (CBP). Nonemployer Statistics counted another 484 construction businesses with no paid employees in 2024; the two programs measure different things and should not be added together. The construction industry page explains how contractors here fund crews and equipment between draws.

ZIP 46901 Versus the Kokomo, IN City Line

Kokomo, IN spans more than one ZIP code. About 38% of the city's land lies in ZIP 46901 and 61% in ZIP 46902, and the city covers only 9.9% of ZIP 46901's land; the rest of the ZIP extends beyond the city (Census 2020 ZIP-to-place relationship file). So a Kokomo mailing address does not always mean a location inside city limits, which matters for zoning and permits. The Kokomo, Indiana zoning and building permits checklist explains how to check.

ZIP Code Business Patterns counted 831 employer establishments with a ZIP 46901 address in 2023, with 13,366 employees and $614.2 million in payroll; 46.5% had fewer than five employees. Retail trade led with 166 establishments, followed by other services (116), accommodation and food services (98), health care (94) and construction (69).

Kokomo, IN and Howard County, IN Residents Who Work for Themselves

The American Community Survey (2020-2024) estimates that 7.6% of Kokomo, IN's employed residents were self-employed (margin of error plus or minus 1.5 points), against 8.1% for Howard County, IN (plus or minus 1.2) and 8.0% for Indiana (plus or minus 0.1). The ranges overlap, so the data do not show Kokomo, IN as higher or lower than the county or state.

Funding by Sector in Howard County, IN

• Restaurants: 90 limited-service and 59 full-service restaurants (CBP 2023).
• Retail stores and boutiques: 40 clothing stores and 25 general merchandise stores (CBP 2023).
• Medical and dental practices: 47 physician and 39 dental offices (CBP 2023).

Four blog posts work through local examples: buying a gas station, stocking a boutique, funding a physical therapy clinic and paying wages with a loan. The six funding structures are compared on one page.

Where Palmwick Lending Is Listed

Palmwick Lending's listed address is 209 N Main St, Kokomo, IN 46901, and its phone is (765) 224-5248. Requests are handled by phone and online; the contact page has details. Owners in nearby towns can see the areas served.

Kokomo, IN businesses we help

Funding partners consider businesses across most industries in Kokomo, IN, from contractors and construction trades and restaurants and food service to medical and dental practices and retailers and wholesalers that carry stock. Each partner still decides case by case.

What to gather before you call

• The last three to six months of business bank statements
• Last year's filed tax return for the business
• A year-to-date profit and loss statement and balance sheet
• Photo ID for every owner of the business
• Your articles of organization or incorporation and the EIN letter
• The equipment quote, contract or purchase order the funding is for

Each lending partner sets its own list, so treat this as a starting point.

The steps after your first call

1. You call (765) 224-5248 or send the short request form. When we speak, we go over what the money is for, how long you have been in business and roughly what the business brings in.
2. We explain which funding types fit that use and what partners usually need to see. Nothing is submitted without your go-ahead.
3. Once you agree, the request goes to partners that provide that type of funding. The credit decision belongs to each partner.
4. If a partner makes an offer, you compare the total cost, payment schedule and terms. You are never obligated to accept.

From Kokomo, IN, the whole request can run by phone and online.

By Palmwick Lending · Updated 2026-10-18