Official dataSmallUSA
82.3%
of US small businesses have no employees (29.8 million nonemployer firms)
Sample: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2022 and Statistics of US Businesses 2022.
Official dataUpdated 23 Oct 2026
36.2Msmall businesses in the US, 99.9% of all firms; 82.3% of them have no employees
There are 36.2 million small businesses in the US (36,207,130), says the SBA Office of Advocacy in its February 2026 FAQ. That is 99.9% of all firms. Most are one-person firms: 29.8 million have no employees, and 6.4 million have paid staff.
No change since the previous figure: 36.2M (30 Jun 2025)
Official dataChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026SmallUSASmall business · Businesses
US small businesses, with and without employees (millions)
| Group | Firms (millions) |
|---|---|
| No employees | 29.8 |
| With employees | 6.4 |
States with the most small businesses (millions)
| Group | Small businesses (millions) |
|---|---|
| California | 4.34 |
| Texas | 3.52 |
| Florida | 3.49 |
In plain words
What this number really says
Almost every US business is small. But most of them are one person working alone, not a shop with staff.
36.2M
small businesses in the US (fewer than 500 employees)
29.8M
of them have no employees (82.3%)
45.9%
of private-sector workers are employed by small businesses (62.3 million people)
Why you can trust it. Official count from the SBA Office of Advocacy, built on Census business data for 2022.
Key terms
- Small business For research, SBA Advocacy counts an independent business with fewer than 500 employees.
- Nonemployer firm A business with no paid employees, such as a freelancer or a sole proprietor. 29.8 million of them.
- Employer firm A business with at least one paid employee. 6.4 million small ones.
Source: US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business; Small Business Profiles, 2022 data (FAQ Feb 2026)
Compare
How 36.2M compares
This number
36.2M
USA 2022 data (FAQ Feb 2026)
LatestAll small businesses
36.2M
Fewer than 500 employees
Nonemployer firms
29.8M
No paid staff
82.3% of the totalSmall employer firms
6.4M
With paid staff
17.7% of the totalLarge businesses
21,041
500 or more staff
Who it affects
Who feels this number
The same 36.2M means something different for each group.
California
4.34MMost small businessesFollowed by Texas (3.52M) and Florida (3.49M), per the 2025 state profiles.
Montana
66.3%Highest job shareShare of employment at small businesses, the highest of any state.
Where it shows
Where this number has an impact
Why the count matters for your market
If you sell to small businesses, only about 6.4 million of them have staff. The other 29.8 million are solo operators with different budgets and needs.
The data is from 2022
The count is built on Census data for 2022, published in 2025. It moves slowly, so a 2026 page quoting 36.2 million is still current.
The future
What this number says about what comes next
Forecasts below are made by others and linked to where they were published. Our own reading of the data is marked as ours.
Our reading, not a forecast
What the data suggests
- Nonemployers drive the growth. Our reading: SBA says nonemployer firms nearly doubled from 15.4 million in 1997 to 29.8 million in 2022, so the total keeps rising mostly through one-person firms.
What to watch next
- SBA Advocacy FAQ, usually updated early each year.
- Census Business Formation Statistics, monthly, for new applications.
The data
All the numbers in one table
As published by US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business; Small Business Profiles, 2022 data (FAQ Feb 2026). Standard errors are shown where the source gives them.
| Group | Firms | Share of small businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Nonemployer firms (no paid staff) | 29,811,495 | 82.3% |
| Small employer firms (1 to 499 staff) | 6,395,635 | 17.7% |
| All small businesses | 36,207,130 | 100% |
| Large businesses (500+ staff) | 21,041 | not small |
Why you see 36.2 million, 6.4 million and 29.8 million
36.2 million counts every firm under 500 employees, including people working alone.
6.4 million counts only small firms with paid employees (Census Statistics of US Businesses).
29.8 million counts only nonemployer firms (Census Nonemployer Statistics). Older pages often quote counts from earlier SBA editions built on older Census years.
Method and use
How it was measured, and how to use it
How it was measured
- Publisher
- US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business; Small Business Profiles
- Source type
- Official data: Government statistics office or regulator
- What it measures
- 36.2M small businesses in the US, 99.9% of all firms; 82.3% of them have no employees
- Data period
- 2022 data (FAQ Feb 2026) (ends 31 Dec 2022)
- Published by the source
- 3 Feb 2026
- Who is counted
- Count of all firms with fewer than 500 employees, from Census Statistics of US Businesses 2022 and Nonemployer Statistics 2022.
- In the source's words
As of February 2026: 99.9% of businesses are small. There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States.
- Checked at source
- 23 Oct 2026: Read on the SBA Office of Advocacy release page and in the FAQ PDF (Feb 2026). The data.js record (36.2M, 2025 profile) matches; the newer FAQ gives the exact count 36,207,130 and employment share 45.9% instead of "almost 46 percent".
- Reuse
- Public domain (US government work). Free to reuse; credit SBA Office of Advocacy.
- Next expected update
- FAQ yearly (US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, fAQ yearly (early in the year); state profiles yearly)
- Original page
- advocacy.sba.gov: Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business; Small Business Profiles
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Full change log
- 3 Feb 2026New data36.2M FAQ 2026 gives the exact count 36,207,130.
- 30 Jun 2025New data36.2M 2025 Small Business Profiles: "the U.S. contains 36.2 million small businesses".
Cite this number
APA
US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy. (2026). 36.2M small businesses in the US, 99.9% of all firms; 82.3% of them have no employees. Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/small-business/us-small-business-count
MLA
"36.2M small businesses in the US, 99.9% of all firms; 82.3% of them have no employees." US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business; Small Business Profiles, 2022 data (FAQ Feb 2026). digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/small-business/us-small-business-count.
HTML link
<a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/small-business/us-small-business-count">36.2M small businesses in the US, 99.9% of all firms; 82.3% of them have no employees</a> (US Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, 2022 data (FAQ Feb 2026))
Embed the chart
Keep the source link under the chart. The chart updates when the number does.
FAQ
Questions about this number
How many small businesses are there in the US?
36.2 million (36,207,130), according to the SBA Office of Advocacy FAQ of February 2026, based on 2022 Census data.
What share of US businesses are small?
99.9% of all firms and 99.7% of firms with paid employees.
How many people work for small businesses?
62.3 million, which is 45.9% of private-sector employees.
How many small businesses have employees?
6.4 million (6,395,635), or 17.7%. The other 29.8 million have no paid staff.
Which state has the most small businesses?
California, with 4.34 million, then Texas (3.52 million) and Florida (3.49 million), per the SBA 2025 state profiles.
What counts as a small business?
For research, the SBA Office of Advocacy counts independent businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Government contracting uses separate industry size standards.
Put this number to work
We help small and mid-size firms turn data like this into useful content, answers for customers and visibility in AI search.
Every number on this page was checked at its original source. Free to cite with a link to this page.