Advocacy Releases 2021 Small Business Profiles for the States

Release No. 21-02 ADV  

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Office of Advocacy, an independent office within the U.S. Small Business Administration, today released the 2021 Small Business Profiles for the States. Each year, Advocacy’s Office of Economic Research gathers the most recent government economic data to construct in-depth, user-friendly snapshots of each state’s small business employment, industry, and business owner demographic statistics.

The 2021 Small Business Profiles show the United States is home to 32.5 million small businesses employing 46.8% of the private workforce. According to the latest available data, the top three industries for small business employment are Health Care and Social Assistance; Accommodation and Food Services; and Construction.

“Advocacy’s Small Business Profiles demonstrate the impact small businesses have on each state’s local economy,” said Acting Chief Counsel Major L. Clark, III. “Each of the 32.5 million small businesses in the United States are important engines of economic growth that can help speed economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The profiles cover the United States, the 50 states, and the District of Columbia. Although the profiles use the latest releases from the primary federal sources of small business data, because of lags in the release of those data, the data analyzed predate the COVID-19 pandemic. Information about the impacts of the pandemic on small businesses is available at the Office of Advocacy pandemic webpage. To view the 2021 Small Business Profiles for the States, visit the Office of Advocacy State Profile webpage.  


Contact Information:
Emily Williams
emily.williams@sba.gov