Across American cities and towns, a quiet sorting is underway: nearly half of business owners feel at home where they operate, while a meaningful minority—particularly those whose enterprises are growing—are weighing whether to stay. A Gallup survey conducted in late 2025 reveals that what binds owners to a place is not low taxes or cheap real estate, but something harder to legislate: the feeling of being supported, connected, and valued by the community around them. The findings invite local governments to reconsider what it truly means to be hospitable to the people who build economic life