Industries with Least Risky Business Environments in the US in 2025

1. Solar Power in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 2.88

The Solar Power industry owns and operates solar power-generating facilities in the form of either photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar thermal power stations. Solar power companies have gone through significant growth, propelled by improvements in the technologies used for electricity generation and government incentives, like the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) targets. RPS legislation requires local utility companies to diversify their portfolio and generate percentages of their energy production through renewable resources. Increases in public support for green energy led to tax incentives and grants to encourage investment in solar power. This has resulted in more companies powering facilities with solar... Learn More

2. Space Vehicle & Missile Manufacturing in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.25

The industry, which develops and manufactures missiles, rockets, spacecraft and related equipment and components, has faced heavy volatility through 2023. Since the US government, particularly the Department of Defense (DoD), accounts for the majority of spending on missile and space products and programs, the industry's performance is highly correlated with government spending levels. Historically, when Congress attempts to rein in spending, funding sharply declines. Even so, rising global tensions have led to surging defense spending domestically and internationally. Revenue has increased at a CAGR of 4.6% over past five years, reaching $40.1 billion, including a 3.3% increase in 2023 alone.... Learn More

3. Wired Telecommunications Carriers in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.27

Wired telecommunications carriers offer local and long-distance voice services using the public switched telephone network and wholesale access to networks for use by companies that provide voice communication services to customers. Once the principal provider of voice communication services, numerous substitutes have siphoned revenue away such as wireless telephony and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Carriers have also suffered due to the growing demand for fiber-optic broadband internet access. Shifting consumer preferences for newer technologies are estimated to hurt industry revenue. Industry-wide revenue has been declining at an average annualized 2.6% over the past five years and is expected... Learn More

4. 3D Printer Manufacturing in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.31

The 3D printer manufacturing industry has seen significant growth over the past five years, increasing at a CAGR of 14.6% to $7.7 billion, which includes 19.1% growth in 2023 alone. As prices for 3D printers declined, additive manufacturing has become more attractive to both businesses and consumers. The outbreak of COVID-19, which led to massive supply disruptions, has led the public and the government to consider new applications of 3D printing. The Additive Manufacturing (AM) Forward program, launched by the Biden Administration in 2022, focuses on advancing the development and adoption of 3D printing technologies in the US.

Additive manufacturing has... Learn More

5. Pet Insurance in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.37

Rapidly increasing consumer awareness and acceptance of industry offerings has benefited the Pet Insurance industry. In the past five years, industry revenue has been growing at an average annualized 16.5% to $3.2 billion, including an estimated 8.9% drop in 2023 alone, when profit margins will grow to an estimated 7.7%.

While demand for pet insurance is typically tied to disposable income levels, industry revenue grew robustly in 2020, even as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the economy. The pandemic caused a massive surge in unemployment, disposable income levels remained high due to government support. With more people working remotely, pet adoptions increased... Learn More

6. Residential Intellectual Disability Facilities in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.47

The industry houses and tends to the daily needs of individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Federal funding for Medicare and Medicaid services and access to private healthcare largely determine the number of those seeking assistance and industry growth. As the population ages, so will the number of adults unable to care for those with IDD, prompting the need for residential services. Through 2023, both funding for Medicare and Medicaid services, the number of adults over the age of 65 and per capita disposable income have steadily increased, boosting industry growth, and mitigating COVID-19's negative impact on costs and... Learn More

7. Solar Panel Manufacturing in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.54

Solar panel manufacturers, which produce solar modules and cells in the United States, faced strong revenue growth. The industry has long been plagued by import penetration, specifically from Asian products, which flooded the US market with low-cost solar modules and cells. Rising tensions between the United States and China, which subsided once tariffs were imposed, but ultimately led to plummeting imports. Domestic manufacturers benefited tremendously from less competition and were enabled to raise prices. The current period's strong performance is directly linked to a continued public sentiment shift in favor of renewable energy, which will continue to accelerate given the... Learn More

8. Precision Agriculture Systems & Services in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.58

Precision agriculture systems and services include software development, testing applications and consulting activities that gather, track, and analyze agricultural data, usually in conjunction with other systems, such as harvesting or field-input machinery. Due to increasing demand from crop farmers who have pushed to maximize production efficiencies to meet growing global demand, industry growth has been strong. Industry enterprises have exhibited depressed sales volumes in 2020, primarily due to the pandemic disrupting industry services. The industry rebounded in unison with improving macroeconomic conditions with revenue growth in 2021, due in part to new technology introductions, recovering agricultural markets and increased, though... Learn More

9. Demolition & Wrecking in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.64

The values of new residential and nonresidential construction directly contribute to demolition and wrecking demand. Demand for demolition and wrecking services has risen because of broad-based economic growth, a strong housing market and more significant construction activity. Still, due to COVID-19, all nonessential construction activity decreased in the first two quarters of 2020, which caused industry revenue to decline. Poor macroeconomic conditions in 2023 will also constrain revenue growth. Still, industry-wide revenue has increased at a CAGR of 1.4% to $8.7 billion through the end of 2023, despite a 1.7% decrease in 2023.

Strong construction activity has led to rising profit.... Learn More

10. 3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping Services in the US

Business Environment Risk for 2025: 3.64

The industry has grown over the past five years, driven by rapid technological development and new applications for 3D printing technology. While the falling price of 3D printing machines encouraged many companies to purchase their own machines and bypass outsourced services, demand has flourished. Additionally, as development and design services could be done remotely, the industry was one of the few which could continue operations unabated during the height of COVID-19 in 2020, resulting in 7.0% revenue growth in that year. Over the past five years, 3D printing and prototyping revenue has climbed at a CAGR of 17.2% to $3.6... Learn More