Nonagricultural micro-enterprise development among the Pennsylvania Amish: A new phenomenon

The economic character of Amish communities shows signs of considerable change. Amish traditionally have depended on farming, and until recently, nonagricultural work was cause for excommunication from the church. The traditional farming base, however, is increasingly unable to provide the jobs and income necessary for the growing population. In response, there has been a rapid growth in nonagricultural micro-enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of this phenomenon in the Lancaster Settlement in Pennsylvania, the largest Amish settlement in Pennsylvania, and the earliest and still second largest in North America. The paper analyzes the characteristics of the Amish entrepreneurs, their businesses and markets, with comparisons with the standard entrepreneurial literature. The Amish entrepreneurs are found to be quite similar in many ways to entrepreneurs in general, but differ considerably in other aspects. Also, they often differ from popular perception, especially the newer Amish entrepreneurs. Results indicate that the newer Amish entrepreneurs are more dynamic and outward looking than the previous generation; perhaps more in the mold of nonAmish entrepreneurs. The success of the Amish entrepreneurs holds potential lessons for general rural business development strategies.