In 2021, about 6.27 million small business firms with employees were counted in the United States. That same year, there were around 28 million non-employer small businesses.

In the second quarter of 2024, 61 percent of surveyed small business owners indicated that the health of their business was in good shape. A further 24 percent of respondents said the health of their business was about average. At the end of 2019, small businesses in "very good" health peaked at 43 percent. By the end of 2020, this number fell to 25 percent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 1.5 million jobs are created in the US every year by small businesses alone. This means that 64% of all job creation comes from small businesses.

In 2019, about 3.772 million small businesses in the professional, scientific, and technical services industry had no employees. A further 770,708 small business had 1-19 employees in the same industry.

The following small business statistics broken down by industry to help you understand the small business landscape better.

The number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the United States was forecast to continuously decrease between 2024 and 2029 by in total 6.7 thousand enterprises (-2.24 percent). After the fourteenth consecutive decreasing year, the number is estimated to reach 291.94 thousand enterprises and therefore a new minimum in 2029. According to the OECD an enterprise is defined as the smallest combination of legal units, which is an organisational unit producing services or goods, that benefits from a degree of autonomy with regards to the allocation of resources and decision making. Shown here are small and medium-sized enterprises, which are defined as companies with 1-249 employees.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

The below table shows a complete breakdown of employer businesses owned by minorities.

According to a new study, women started 49% of new businesses in the United States in 2021. This is way up from 28% in 2019.

Introduction

Small Business Statistics: Small businesses are often seen as the backbone of the economy, and rightly so. They bring fresh ideas to the market and create jobs for people who may not have opportunities in larger companies. From one-person businesses to significant job creators, small businesses are crucial to the economy.

However, with 82% failing because of cash flow problems and only 50% making it to the five-year mark, it’s clear that achieving success is not easy. Here are some Small Business Statistics that can help entrepreneurs understand the market better and position their products or services for success.

The dataset exists to observe the entrepreneurial activity of Austin over a long time period. The data comes from the U.S. Census County Business Pattern table and is capturing data at the Travis County level. It contains the cumulative count of firms by employee size and count of firms by employee size by industry. This data can be used to see changes of employer growth by industry; to project where workforce growth could be occurring; or to simply see how many small businesses there are in Austin. View more details and insights related to this data set on the story page: data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/ndb5-si22

Small Business Market Outlook 2032

The global small business market size was USD 2,572 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 4,985 Billion by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 8.50% during 2024–2032. The market growth is attributed to the proliferation of small businesses.



Growing number of small businesses are becoming the backbone of global economies, driving innovation and creating employment opportunities. They are not confined to traditional brick-and-mortar establishments and are embracing digital platforms to reach a wider audience. A novel application of small businesses is the rise of micro-consulting, where individuals with specialized knowledge offer their expertise on a project-by-project basis, thereby reducing overhead costs and providing flexible, tailored solutions for clients.



Growing regulatory changes are impacting the small business landscape. The most recent being the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implemented by the European Union, which applies to all businesses, regardless of size, that handle personal data of EU citizens.



This regulation has significant implications for small businesses, as it necessitates stringent data protection measures. Non-compliance results in hefty fines, thus, it is likely to increase the demand for data security services and impact how small businesses manage customer data.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Small Business Market

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a considerable impact on the small business market. These enterprises automate routine tasks by integrating AI into their operations, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs. AI's predictive analytics capabilities enable these businesses to anticipate market trends and customer behavior, facilitating strategic decision-making.



AI-powered customer service tools, such as </span

This timeline measures entrepreneurialism in the United States by showing the number of businesses that were less than one year old and still in their start-up phase, from March 1994 to March 2023. In March 2023, there were around 1.05 million businesses that were less than 1 year old, a slight decrease from the year prior, when the number was around 1.07 million.

Graph and download economic data for Number of Business Failures, All Commercial for United States (M0929CUSM474NNBR) from Jan 1939 to Jun 1965 about failures, commercial, business, and USA.

One of the cool things about most small business owners is that they come from all different demographics and backgrounds.

The Small Business Administration maintains the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) database. As a small business registers in the System for Award Management, there is an opportunity to fill out the small business profile. The information provided populates DSBS. DSBS is another tool contracting officers use to identify potential small business contractors for upcoming contracting opportunities. Small businesses can also use DSBS to identify other small businesses for teaming and joint venturing.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Small Specialty Retail Stores industry in United States

Small Business Sentiment in the United States increased to 51.67 in February from 49.03 in January of 2015. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - US Small Business Health Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

SB: IA: OP: Change in Hours: No Change data was reported at 79.700 % in 11 Apr 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 81.100 % for 04 Apr 2022. SB: IA: OP: Change in Hours: No Change data is updated weekly, averaging 80.800 % from Nov 2021 (Median) to 11 Apr 2022, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85.500 % in 21 Feb 2022 and a record low of 71.200 % in 27 Dec 2021. SB: IA: OP: Change in Hours: No Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.S047: Small Business Pulse Survey: by State: Midwest Region: Weekly, Beg Monday (Discontinued).

SB: IA: CS: Demand: Little or No Change data was reported at 50.500 % in 11 Apr 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 49.100 % for 04 Apr 2022. SB: IA: CS: Demand: Little or No Change data is updated weekly, averaging 55.200 % from Feb 2022 (Median) to 11 Apr 2022, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.000 % in 28 Mar 2022 and a record low of 49.100 % in 04 Apr 2022. SB: IA: CS: Demand: Little or No Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.S047: Small Business Pulse Survey: by State: Midwest Region: Weekly, Beg Monday (Discontinued).

SBOI: sa: Earnings: Lower A Year Ago Due To: Sales Volume data was reported at 14.000 % in Mar 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 14.000 % for Feb 2025. SBOI: sa: Earnings: Lower A Year Ago Due To: Sales Volume data is updated monthly, averaging 12.000 % from Jan 2014 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 131 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31.000 % in Jun 2021 and a record low of 6.000 % in Sep 2019. SBOI: sa: Earnings: Lower A Year Ago Due To: Sales Volume data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Federation of Independent Business. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.S042: NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism. [COVID-19-IMPACT]