WARREN — Ohio entrepreneurs amid the viral outbreak in 2020 set a record of 171,073 new business filings, eclipsing the previous year’s record of 130,621, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.

The data represents a 31 percent increase last year compared to 2019 that Secretary Frank LaRose attributes to the “courageous, bold” entrepreneurs who “found ways to face adversity and get the job done.”

LaRose said although the numbers are not a perfect economic indicator, they are a sign of economic optimism that he expects will continue through 2021.

For the month, there were 13,735 new business filings with the office’s business services division. That represents a 51 percent increase from December 2019, which notched 9,071 new filings, according to the office.