36.2 Million Small Businesses Operate in the United States
According to the SBA Office of Advocacy's 2025 Small Business Profile, there are 36.2 million small businesses in the United States — defined as firms with fewer than 500 employees. These businesses represent roughly 46% of private-sector employment and generated approximately 9 of every 10 net new jobs over the prior decade.
The Census Bureau's Business Formation Statistics show elevated new-business application rates through 2024, suggesting the small-business count will continue rising into 2026 as applications from the post-pandemic formation surge mature into operating firms.
This data point is part of The State of Small Business & Consumer Finance 2026, ClearValue Lending's data report.
Read the full The State of Small Business & Consumer Finance 2026 report →More Data Points
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https://clearvaluelending.com/reports/stats/small-business-count-us-2026