Statistics on U.S. Small Businesses 01/30/01

General Characteristics (Government Sources):

Many statistical reports about small businesses can be found at the SBA's Office of Advocacy ( http://www.sba.gov/ADVO/). General overviews of small business characteristics in 1998 by state can be found at: http://www.sba.gov/ADVO/stats/profiles/. These reports provide baseline statistics for the industrial base of each state's small business community, the number and growth (or decline) of small business, and the demographic characteristics of small business owners among other things.

More detailed data about small businesses can be found in Small Business Economic Indicators( http://www.sba.gov/ADVO/stats). Because of the amount and complexity of the data included in these reports, the information provided lags by two to three years (1998, 1997, 1996 and 1995 reports are available online). These statistical studies provide over sixty pages of statistics about small businesses at the state and national levels. The reports include, among other things, information on business starts, failures and terminations; sales, wages and taxes; and small business characteristics by industry (SIC divisions). See other government studies at http://www.sba.gov/library/reportsroom.html and http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html.

Minority/Women-Owned Firms (Government and Private Sources)

The US Census Bureau conducts a survey of Minority and Women-Owned firms every five years. Reports from the 1992 Census can be found at: http://www.census.gov/csd/mwb/. The 1997 Census will be reported at that site when available during the first half of 2001. A brief summary of women-owned business statistics can be found at: http://www.womanowned.com/statsbiz.htm.

Small Business Data and Surveys (Private Sources):

Private companies and business associations also track the growth, decline and characteristics of small business. The methodologies used to obtain and analyze the data do not match those used by the US government, so any information provided by these companies should not be directly compared to the US government statistics. The main supplier of business statistics is the Dun & Bradstreet Company. Their surveys can be found at: http://www.dnb.com/sbs/hmenu.htm. D&B also reports on business starts & failures on a quarterly basis http://www.dnb.com/newsview/economic.htm). Local business journals and associations often publish surveys about the characteristics and common concerns of small businesses and their owners. Surveys of small businesses can be found at the National Federation of Independent Businesses (http://www.nfibonline.com/) and the American City Business Journals (http://www.amcity.com/).

Looking for information about a specific industry? Use our industry sections to begin your research (http://sbdcnet.org/industry.php).

SBDCNet Team

Gloria Allen
Carolyn Ellis
Peter Morales
Sarah Barrette
Paula Fantegrossi

Guillermo Barreto-Vega
Perry Byers
Linda Hernandez
Jane Nolasco

Judith Johnson
J. Eric Lomeli
Juan Cueva
Armida Hernandez

Co-Editors: Carolyn Ellis & Judith Johnson

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This U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Grant is funded by the SBA. SBAs funding is not an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services. All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.