Facts About Small Businesses

In May 2020, employment in leisure and hospitality was down 41 percent relative to May 2019, compared to declines ranging from 2 to 18 percent in other areas. The largest category of businesses within leisure and hospitality is food…

Since a declaration of emergency for COVID-19 was issued on March 13, 2020, total private employment dropped by over 15 percent. Small businesses employers bore the brunt of the job loss, with a decline of more than 17 percent. Read “Small…

The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Economic Bulletin for April 2020 charts pre-pandemic trends for the small business economy through 2019. At that point in time, the number of small businesses was increasing, and small businesses…

Data collected in the course of administering government programs can provide timely information about changing economic conditions.  Over the past five weeks, applications related to business formation have plummeted, while initial…

Since 2000, the number of establishments in metropolitan counties has grown by 30.9 percent, while the number in rural counties has grown by only 7.2 percent.  Read “Small Business Facts: Growth in Number of Rural Establishments” to learn…

The Office of Advocacy's Small Business Economic Bulletin uses quarterly and monthly data to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the current small business economy. Small businesses strength indicators include self-employment…

In the fourth quarter of 2018, there were over 1.4 million outstanding small business loans held by community banks worth over $94 billion.  While community banks are a critical source of capital for small businesses, they have been…

The place for answers to several frequently asked questions is Advocacy’s handy infographic, What's New With Small Business. This colorful visualization shows you top small business facts. A text version of the contents is…

Advocacy’s most requested publication, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, gathers dozens of the latest statistics about America’s small business in one place. The FAQ is updated annually, and it’s a convenient place to…

In 2018, openings of establishments with employees surpassed one million for the first time. Annual openings have exceeded closings for eight consecutive years. Read “Small Business Facts: Establishment Dynamics” to learn more.