Business births, deaths

Here are some interesting stats dug up by the OC Register's Jan Norman: One out of nine U.S. businesses that opened in 2008 were in California; while one out of six U.S. businesses that closed in 2008 were in California. That gives the state 45 percent more deaths than births - not as bad as Michigan (55 percent), but a far cry from Texas, which had around 35 percent more births than deaths.

What's troubling about those numbers is that over the years California generally has had more births than deaths, even during periods of recession. In 2001, for example, I found 103,461 births and 98,758 deaths. (My numbers are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Is it possible that California has lost its touch as an entrepreneurial stronghold?