Business facts

Answers you can trace back to the source.

Each fact page leads with the number, explains exactly what it measures, shows the observation period, and distinguishes a government statistic from a BizFacts calculation.

Three current reference points

Question	Current answer	What it measures
How many U.S. small businesses?	36,207,130	SBA’s latest published total; 82.3% are nonemployer firms.
How many people do they employ?	62.3 million	45.9% of private-sector workers under SBA’s research framework.
How many July business applications?	578,926	Seasonally adjusted qualifying EIN applications—not openings.

The SBA figures were published in February 2026 but use underlying datasets with different observation years. The application figure is from the Census Business Formation Statistics release dated August 12, 2026. Each page below explains the vintage, unit, and limitations before drawing a conclusion.

For the same measures broken out geographically, compare the 50 state business profiles.

Fact page

How Many Americans Work for Small Businesses?

Small businesses employ 62.3 million people—nearly 46% of the private-sector workforce—and have produced most net private-sector job growth since 1995.

62.3 million · Latest source data assembled for SBA’s February 2026 publication; underlying observation years vary Fact page

How Many Businesses Start Each Month?

The latest federal figures for monthly business applications and expected employer formations, with a clear explanation of the difference.

578,926 applications · July 2026, seasonally adjusted Fact page

How Many Small Businesses Are in the U.S.?

The United States has 36.2 million small businesses. Here is what that total includes and how the business population has changed.

36,207,130 · Latest components assembled for SBA’s February 2026 publication; underlying observation years vary