Statistics · Updated Oct 14, 2026 · Next update Nov 12, 2026 (next Census Business Formation Statistics release)
US Small Business Statistics (2026)
How many small businesses there are, how many start each month, and how many survive, from the SBA, the Census Bureau and the BLS.
small businesses in the US: 99.9% of all businesses.
of private-sector workers, 62.3 million people, work for a small business
small businesses have no employees, 82.3% of them
applications to start a business in August 2026
US Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics · August 2026, seasonally adjusted (released Sep 11, 2026)
of establishments opened in March 2015 were still open ten years later
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics · March 2015 openings, measured March 2025
Using these figures
Free to use. A mention of Sauron and a link back is appreciated.
Source: Sauron analysis of SBA, US Census Bureau and BLS data, https://sauron.so/research/small-business-statistics
Laurence Tuchin, founder
press@sauron.so
Need figures for your state or a different cut? Email us.
How many small businesses there are
Almost every US business is a small business, and most of them have no employees.
| Measure | Number | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses | 36,207,130 | 2022 |
| Share of all businesses | 99.9% | 2022 |
| Small businesses with no employees | 29.8 million (82.3% of small businesses) | 2022 |
| Businesses with employees | 6,395,635 | 2022 |
| Employees at small businesses | 62.3 million (45.9% of private sector) | 2022 |
| Net new jobs created by small businesses | 20.7 million (61% of the total) | 1995–2024 |
These are the latest figures the SBA publishes. Its 2026 report uses 2022 Census data, because full business counts take several years to compile.
How many new businesses start
About 1 in 5 new business applications are for retail.
Americans filed 531,728 applications to start a business in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted), 7.8% fewer than in July, according to the Census Bureau's release of September 11, 2026. An application doesn't always become a business with employees, but it is the earliest official sign of new businesses starting.
Retail trade accounted for 104,087 of those 531,728 applications in August 2026, about 1 in 5. Retail applications include online stores, but also every other kind of shop, so this is not a count of new online stores.
| Month (2026) | Retail applications | All applications | Retail share |
|---|---|---|---|
| June | 97,421 | 533,453 | 18.3% |
| July | 140,604 | 576,512 | 24.4% |
| August | 104,087 | 531,728 | 19.6% |
Seasonally adjusted. Retail is NAICS 44-45. Retail share is a Sauron calculation.
Which states search most for starting an online business
Study results publish in December 2026.
Until then this page shows no figures from the study. The method is below.
How many survive, and how many fail
About one in three new businesses is still open ten years later.
- After 1 year: 84.4% of retail establishments opened in March 2024 were still operating in March 2025.
- After 10 years: 34.7% of all private-sector establishments opened in March 2015 were still operating in March 2025, about one in three. For retail it was 44.2%.
- Put the other way: 15.6% of new retail establishments closed within their first year, and 65.3% of all establishments opened in 2015 had closed within ten years.
Why it matters for online stores
Most of these businesses have no staff, and few have a marketing budget. For a small online store, being found on Google costs time rather than money, and time is what a one-person business has least of. A Shopify SEO app like Sauron does that work automatically: it finds the searches your products can win and writes the pages for them.
How we check figures
We take each number from the agency's own release or table.
Using these figures
Free to use. If you cite these figures, a mention of Sauron and a link back to this page is appreciated.
Suggested credit
Source: Sauron analysis of SBA, US Census Bureau and BLS data, https://sauron.so/research/small-business-statistics
Full method
- We take each number from the agency's own release or table.
- We update the business applications figure each month, and the others when the SBA and BLS publish new editions.
- Survival rates are from the BLS Business Employment Dynamics establishment age tables (Table 7), using the latest cohort for each measure.
- The state search ranking uses Google Ads search volume data (monthly Google searches, US) for searches about starting an online business, over the latest 12 months, divided by US Census Bureau population estimates (July 1, 2025). These are searches, not businesses started.
Sources
- SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions 2026 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Census Business Formation Statistics (opens in a new tab)
- Census Business Formation Statistics, data by industry (opens in a new tab)
- BLS Business Employment Dynamics, Table 7, retail trade (opens in a new tab)
- BLS Business Employment Dynamics, Table 7, total private (opens in a new tab)
Questions (4)
How many small businesses are there in the US?
36.2 million, 99.9% of all US businesses, according to the SBA Office of Advocacy (February 2026, based on 2022 data).
What percentage of new businesses survive?
About one in three business establishments is still operating ten years after opening: 34.7% of those opened in March 2015 were still open in March 2025 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). In retail, 84.4% of establishments opened in March 2024 were still open a year later.
What percentage of small businesses fail?
About two in three business establishments close within ten years: 65.3% of those opened in March 2015 were no longer operating in March 2025. In retail, 15.6% of establishments opened in March 2024 had closed within a year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics).
How many new businesses start each month?
531,728 business applications were filed in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted), according to the Census Bureau's Business Formation Statistics.