Your favorite coffee shop. The accountant who’s done your taxes for years. The contractor who fixed your roof.
Small businesses are easy to take for granted. The numbers show how much we depend on them.
According to the SBA Office of Advocacy, as of February 2026:
| Measure | Small businesses |
|---|---|
| Number of U.S. small businesses | 36.2 million |
| Share of all U.S. businesses | 99.9% |
| People employed | 62.3 million |
| Share of private-sector workers | 45.9% |
| Share of U.S. GDP | 43.5% |
| Share of private-sector payroll | 38.7% |
Nearly half of the private-sector workforce works for a small business, and small businesses produce more than two of every five dollars of U.S. economic activity.
Small businesses employ 62.3 million Americans. For many people, a small business is where they get their first job, learn a trade or build a career.
Small businesses can move fast. They test new ideas, fill gaps larger companies overlook and serve niches that would otherwise go unserved.
Small business owners sponsor local teams, support local charities and show up for community events. When they grow, their communities grow with them.
Small businesses build relationships one customer at a time. That personal service is hard to replicate at scale, and it’s why customers keep coming back.
Small business owners wear every hat: CEO, salesperson, marketer, bookkeeper and IT department. The work that keeps the business running often crowds out the work that grows it.
That’s where the right support makes a difference:
There are 36.2 million small businesses in the U.S., according to the SBA Office of Advocacy (February 2026).
99.9%.
62.3 million people, or 45.9% of private-sector workers.
Shop local, leave reviews, refer friends, share them on social media and buy gift cards.
BELAY has helped more than 25,000 leaders get time back since 2010. If you’re running a small business, you don’t have to do it all yourself.