36.2M
small businesses in the U.S.
Small businesses represented 99.9% of all U.S. businesses in the 2025 national profile.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 2025 profileCDUB Marketing reference desk
Small business statistics for the U.S.
Five source-backed facts about the scale and momentum of small businesses. Built for business owners, writers, and anyone who needs a trustworthy number with context.
62.3M
people employed by small businesses
That is 45.9% of all U.S. employees, a reminder that the small-business economy is anything but small.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 2025 profile1.1M
small-business establishment openings
Small businesses accounted for 1.1 million openings between March 2023 and March 2024.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 2023–20241.2M
net new jobs created by small businesses
From March 2023 to March 2024, small businesses created 88.9% of the nation’s net job growth.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 2023–2024+155,311
net new U.S. establishments
Across all U.S. establishments, 1,281,290 opened and 1,125,979 closed between March 2023 and March 2024.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 2023–2024How to read these numbers
Use the context, not just the headline.
“Small business” is the U.S. Small Business Administration’s category, generally firms with fewer than 500 employees. Establishment counts and employment measures come from federal business data and cover different time periods, so the figures are best read as a national snapshot rather than a scorecard for one industry or city.
For a marketing decision, the useful takeaway is simple: small businesses make up nearly every business in the country, and the firms that build a clear message, stay visible, and follow up consistently have a better chance of being remembered in a very crowded market.
Methodology and sources
Where the data comes from
This page uses the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy’s 2025 United States Small Business Profile. The profile compiles the most recent federal data available at publication, including Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics sources. Each statistic above links to that original profile. This page was last checked on October 2, 2026.
Cite this page
CDUB Marketing. “Small Business Statistics: U.S. Snapshot.” Updated October 2, 2026. https://cdubmarketing.com/small-business-statistics