Small Business Statistics: 100+ Stats for 2026

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index reached 99.8 in July 2026, its highest reading since August 2025 and above the 52-year average of 98.0 (Source: NFIB).

That number captures the split running through the 2026 small business economy, where sentiment is recovering while payrolls are still contracting. Small firms account for 99.9% of all U.S. businesses and employ 62.3 million people, so the direction they move in sets the tone for the wider labor market long before it appears in national headline data.

This article breaks down 100+ verified small business statistics for 2026, covering firm counts, employment by sector, region and state, revenue, business formation, owner sentiment, and the costs shaping decisions this year.

Key Takeaways

• There are 36,207,130 U.S. small businesses, representing 99.9% of all American firms.
• Small businesses employ 62.3 million people, or 45.9% of private-sector workers.
• Q2 2026 marked the third consecutive quarter of small business employment decline.
• NFIB optimism hit 99.8 in July 2026, the highest since August 2025.
• Labor quality, cited by 27% of owners, is the top 2026 problem.

The State of the Small Business Economy in 2026

Two data stories are running in parallel this year. Sentiment indicators such as the NFIB Optimism Index and hiring plans have improved sharply since mid-2026, while hard payroll and revenue data from Intuit QuickBooks show employment falling in every sector, region and state tracked in Q2 2026.

Business formation has stayed strong, with July 2026 applications up 8.1% month over month, but average quarterly revenue fell 1.94%.

The practical reading is that owners expect conditions to improve and are planning accordingly, yet they have not translated that expectation into headcount.

Net 20% of owners planned to create new jobs in the next three months, the strongest reading since October 2022, at the same time that 12,791,800 people were employed by small businesses in July 2026, down 14,400 from June.

Which Sources Define Small Business Data in 2026

Five primary sources anchor almost every credible figure in this article, and each measures something different.

• The SBA Office of Advocacy publishes the official firm counts and economic shares.
• The U.S. Census Bureau tracks new business applications.
• Intuit QuickBooks measures actual payroll activity for firms with fewer than 10 employees.
• NFIB surveys owner sentiment monthly.
• Fiserv tracks card-based sales and transaction volume.

Knowing which source produced a number matters, because the QuickBooks employment series covers a narrower slice of small firms than the SBA count and will not match it.

Treat the two as complementary rather than contradictory.

Number and Composition of Small Businesses in 2026

These are the headline firm counts used across 2026 policy and research work.

1. There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
2. 99.9% of all U.S. businesses are small. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
3. 99.7% of firms with paid employees are small. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
4. 82.3% of small businesses, or 29,811,495 firms, are nonemployer firms. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
5. 17.7% of small businesses, or 6,395,635 firms, are employer firms. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
6. There are 21,041 large businesses with 500 or more employees. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
7. Small businesses account for 97.2% of exporting firms, or 270,014 businesses. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)

Small Business Employment Statistics for 2026

8. U.S. small businesses employ 62.3 million people. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
9. Small businesses account for 45.9% of private-sector workers. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
10. From January 1995 to December 2024, small businesses created 20.7 million net new jobs, or 61% of the total. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
11. U.S. small businesses employed 12,806,300 people in Q2 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
12. Employment decreased by 32,400 jobs in Q2 2026 versus Q1 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
13. The Q2 2026 quarterly employment decline rate was 0.25%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
14. Q2 2026 marked the third consecutive quarter of employment decline. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
15. Jobs decreased in all 12 sectors tracked in Q2 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
16. Employment decreased in all 8 U.S. regions in Q2 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
17. Employment decreased in all 20 states tracked in Q2 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
18. Total small business employment in July 2026 was 12,791,800. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
19. Employment decreased by 14,400 jobs in July 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
20. The July 2026 monthly decline rate was 0.11%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)

Small Business Employment by Sector, Q2 2026

Education and health services lost the most jobs in absolute terms, while leisure and hospitality declined fastest by rate.

21. Agriculture, natural resources and mining: 180,200 jobs, down 200 (0.14%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
22. Transport and warehousing: 660,200 jobs, down 1,300 (0.19%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
23. Construction: 818,500 jobs, down 1,800 (0.22%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
24. Wholesale trade: 602,900 jobs, down 1,300 (0.22%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
25. Finance and real estate: 879,600 jobs, down 2,000 (0.23%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
26. Professional and business services: 2,231,100 jobs, down 5,200 (0.23%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
27. Retail trade: 1,547,000 jobs, down 3,800 (0.24%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
28. Manufacturing: 1,232,500 jobs, down 3,100 (0.25%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
29. Education and health services: 2,640,200 jobs, down 7,000 (0.26%), the largest absolute loss. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
30. Information: 287,600 jobs, down 800 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
31. Utilities: 60,900 jobs, down 200 (0.29%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
32. Leisure and hospitality: 1,665,500 jobs, down 6,000 (0.36%), the fastest rate of decline. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)

Small Business Employment by Region, Q2 2026

33. Mideast: 1,974,400 jobs, down 4,200 (0.21%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
34. Great Lakes: 1,852,900 jobs, down 4,400 (0.23%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
35. Plains: 876,400 jobs, down 2,200 (0.25%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
36. New England: 622,600 jobs, down 1,600 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
37. Rocky Mountain: 510,100 jobs, down 1,300 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
38. Southeast: 3,185,300 jobs, down 8,200 (0.26%), the largest absolute loss. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
39. Far West: 2,165,400 jobs, down 6,000 (0.28%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
40. Southwest: 1,619,100 jobs, down 4,500 (0.28%), the fastest regional rate. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)

Small Business Employment by State, Q2 2026

41. North Carolina: 802,700 jobs, down 1,400 (0.17%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
42. Wisconsin: 246,200 jobs, down 400 (0.17%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
43. New York: 403,500 jobs, down 900 (0.21%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
44. Illinois: 503,000 jobs, down 1,200 (0.23%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
45. Tennessee: 275,100 jobs, down 600 (0.23%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
46. Michigan: 369,000 jobs, down 900 (0.24%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
47. Indiana: 272,300 jobs, down 700 (0.25%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
48. Missouri: 241,200 jobs, down 600 (0.25%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
49. Pennsylvania: 514,300 jobs, down 1,300 (0.25%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
50. Arizona: 269,800 jobs, down 700 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
51. Ohio: 462,400 jobs, down 1,200 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
52. Oregon: 162,400 jobs, down 400 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
53. Virginia: 327,900 jobs, down 900 (0.26%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
54. Georgia: 403,100 jobs, down 1,100 (0.27%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
55. California: 1,503,300 jobs, down 4,200 (0.28%), the largest state drop. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
56. Colorado: 235,100 jobs, down 700 (0.28%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
57. Minnesota: 243,500 jobs, down 700 (0.28%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
58. Texas: 1,153,700 jobs, down 3,300 (0.28%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
59. Washington: 289,900 jobs, down 900 (0.29%). (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
60. Florida: 852,300 jobs, down 2,600 (0.30%), the fastest state rate. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)

July 2026 Monthly Employment Snapshot

61. Education and health services lost 2,800 jobs in July 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
62. Agriculture, leisure and hospitality, and utilities shared the fastest July decline rate at 0.15%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
63. The Rocky Mountain region had the fastest July regional decline rate at 0.13%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
64. The Southeast region lost 3,400 jobs in July 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
65. Oregon had the fastest state decline rate in July at 0.14%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
66. California lost 1,800 jobs in July 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)

Economic Contribution, Revenue and Sales

67. Small business activity accounts for 43.5% of U.S. GDP. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
68. Small businesses pay 38.7% of private-sector payroll, worth $3.5 trillion. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
69. Small businesses account for 35.0% of private-sector receipts, worth $17.8 trillion. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
70. Small businesses account for 33.0% of known export value, worth $588.4 billion. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
71. Average quarterly revenue decreased by $2,920, or 1.94%, in Q2 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
72. Utilities posted the largest average revenue gain in Q2 2026 at $9,300, up 3.45%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
73. Agriculture, natural resources and mining had the largest absolute revenue drop at $6,900. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
74. Information had the fastest revenue decline rate in Q2 2026 at 4.56%. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
75. Professional and business services revenue declined 4.55% in Q2 2026. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
76. Average real monthly revenue in July 2026 was $52,440, up 0.66% month over month. (Source: Intuit QuickBooks)
77. The Fiserv Small Business Index stood at 145 in July 2026, with sales up 1.6% year over year. (Source: Fiserv)
78. Average tickets rose 3.2% year over year in July 2026. (Source: Fiserv)
79. Transactions fell 1.6% year over year in July 2026, a ninth consecutive monthly decline. (Source: Fiserv)
80. Food services and drinking places sales slipped 0.8% year over year in July 2026. (Source: Fiserv)

Business Formation Statistics

81. Business applications for July 2026 totaled 578,926 seasonally adjusted, up 8.1% from June. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
82. Projected business formations within four quarters from July 2026 applications: 29,959, up 0.7%. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
83. Business applications for May 2026 totaled 523,971 seasonally adjusted. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Small Business Optimism, Hiring and Pricing, July 2026

84. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index reached 99.8 in July 2026, up 2.4 points and the highest since August 2025. (Source: NFIB)
85. The Uncertainty Index stood at 91 in July 2026, up 2 points. (Source: NFIB)
86. The Employment Index rose to 102.1 in July 2026, up 1.9 points. (Source: NFIB)
87. Net 20% of owners planned to create new jobs in the next three months, the highest since October 2022. (Source: NFIB)
88. 36% of owners reported unfilled job openings in July 2026, up 4 points. (Source: NFIB)
89. 31% reported openings for skilled workers and 14% for unskilled labor. (Source: NFIB)
90. 25% planned capital expenditures in the next six months, up 5 points. (Source: NFIB)
91. Net 31% raised average selling prices in July 2026, down 7 points. (Source: NFIB)
92. Net 28% planned to raise prices in the next three months. (Source: NFIB)
93. Labor quality and availability was the single most important problem for 27% of owners. (Source: NFIB)
94. Inflation was cited as the top problem by 14% of owners, down 7 points. (Source: NFIB)
95. Taxes were cited by 16%, poor sales by 8%, labor costs by 8%, and insurance by 8%. (Source: NFIB)
96. 61% reported hiring or trying to hire in July 2026. (Source: NFIB)
97. Net 31% raised compensation in July 2026 and net 19% planned to raise it. (Source: NFIB)
98. 54% reported capital outlays in the prior period. (Source: NFIB)
99. Net 7% expected higher real sales in July 2026. (Source: NFIB)
100. Net earnings trends stood at negative 16% in July 2026. (Source: NFIB)
101. 12% said it was a good time to expand in July 2026. (Source: NFIB)
102. Net 15% expected better business conditions. (Source: NFIB)

Owner Sentiment, Regulation and AI Adoption

103. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index for Q2 2026 was 66.5. (Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
104. 57% of owners said inflation was their biggest challenge in Q2 2026. (Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
105. 35% expected to increase staff in the next year. (Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
106. 30% said the U.S. economy was in good health. (Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
107. Federal paperwork cost small businesses over $81 billion, with over 80% attributable to the IRS. (Source: SBA Office of Advocacy)
108. 46% of firms reported using AI in some way. (Source: Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey)

What the 2026 Data Actually Signals

Three patterns stand out:

• First, the contraction is broad but shallow. Losses of 0.14% to 0.36% across every sector point to a hiring freeze with light attrition rather than a wave of layoffs, which is consistent with 61% of owners still hiring or trying to hire.
• Second, the pricing story has flipped. Inflation fell from the top concern to fourth place among NFIB respondents at 14%, while labor quality took the lead at 27%. At the same time, Fiserv data shows average tickets up 3.2% while transactions fell 1.6%, meaning revenue is being held up by price rather than volume.
• Third, formation is decoupled from employment. Applications rose 8.1% in July while payrolls fell, which points toward growth in nonemployer firms, already 82.3% of all small businesses.

How to Use These Statistics Correctly

• Match the source to the claim.
• Use SBA Advocacy figures for firm counts
• GDP share and employment totals
• Census Business Formation Statistics for new business activity
• QuickBooks for month-to-month payroll movement,
• NFIB for sentiment
• Fiserv for consumer spending at small merchants.

Two cautions apply. Sentiment indices measure expectations and often move ahead of, or apart from, hard data, as the 2026 gap between rising optimism and falling employment shows. And percentage changes in the QuickBooks series are quarter over quarter or month over month, not annual, so compounding them into yearly figures overstates the trend.

Conclusion

The 2026 data set is the clearest picture yet of an economy where small business sentiment and small business payrolls are moving in opposite directions.

Small firms remain 99.9% of all U.S. businesses, employ 62.3 million people, generate 43.5% of GDP and account for 97.2% of exporters, yet Q2 2026 delivered a third consecutive quarter of employment decline across every sector, region and state tracked.

Optimism recovered to 99.8 in July, hiring plans hit their strongest level since 2022, and business applications climbed 8.1%, while average quarterly revenue fell 1.94% and transaction volume kept sliding.

Read together, the 100+ statistics above describe a sector that is planning for recovery faster than it is currently delivering one.

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FAQs

1. How many small businesses are there in the United States in 2026?

There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States in 2026, representing 99.9% of all U.S. firms. Of those, 29,811,495 are nonemployer firms and 6,395,635 are employer firms, according to the SBA Office of Advocacy.

2. How many people do small businesses employ in 2026?

Small businesses employ 62.3 million people in 2026, which is 45.9% of all private-sector workers. Between January 1995 and December 2024 they created 20.7 million net new jobs, accounting for 61% of net job creation.

3. What percentage of U.S. GDP comes from small businesses?

The percentage of U.S. GDP that comes from small businesses is 43.5%. Small firms also pay 38.7% of private-sector payroll, worth $3.5 trillion, and generate 35.0% of private-sector receipts, worth $17.8 trillion.

4. What is the biggest challenge facing small businesses in 2026?

The biggest challenge facing small businesses in 2026 is labor quality and availability, cited as the single most important problem by 27% of owners in July 2026. Taxes followed at 16% and inflation at 14%, down 7 points from the prior month.

5. Are small businesses hiring in 2026?

Small businesses are hiring in 2026, though total payrolls are still shrinking. 61% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire in July 2026 and net 20% planned to add jobs within three months, yet employment fell by 14,400 that month and by 32,400 across Q2 2026.

Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or compliance advice. Protocol versions, governance arrangements, and partner counts cited here reflect publicly announced milestones as of August 2026 and are moving quickly. Adoption figures come from vendor and foundation announcements with differing methodologies and should be treated as directional signals rather than guaranteed outcomes.