Solo and small business finance statistics and key 2026 data points

Solo and Small Business Finance Statistics (2026)

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Last updated: September 2026 · Compiled by SoloMoneyStack

If you run a business of one, or a small one, the numbers below are your peer group. We pulled them from primary sources: the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, the Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey, the JPMorgan Chase Institute, and Intuit QuickBooks. We update this page as new data is released, and we cite every figure so you can check it yourself.

How to use this page: each statistic is numbered to a source in the list at the bottom. Two figures are marked SoloMoneyStack original data, computed from our own hands-on reviews of the banking and card tools these businesses use. You are welcome to cite any of it with a link back to this page.

Cite this page

Writers and researchers are welcome to use these statistics. Please credit SoloMoneyStack with a link:

Source: SoloMoneyStack, "Solo and Small Business Finance Statistics (2026)," https://solomoneystack.com/solo-small-business-finance-statistics/

How big is the solo and small business economy?

Small businesses are not a niche. They are almost the entire business landscape, and most of them have no employees at all.

34.8M
small businesses in the US
99.9% of all US businesses are small. [1]
28.5M
have no employees (nonemployer firms)
81.9% of small businesses are solo operators. [1]
45.9%
of US workers are employed by small businesses
About 59 million people. [1]
43.5%
of US GDP comes from small businesses
They also pay 39% of private-sector payroll. [1]

Getting paid: invoices and late payments

For a solo or small business, the biggest cash flow risk is not sales. It is getting paid for the sales you already made.

56%
of small businesses are owed money from unpaid invoices
2025 QuickBooks Late Payments Report. [2]
$17.5K
average amount owed in outstanding invoices
Per business, on average. [2]
47%
had invoices overdue by more than 30 days
Nearly 1 in 10 invoices runs overdue. [2]
1.7x
more likely to lean on credit cards when hit by late payments
And they carry balances 1.5x higher. [2]

Cash flow and how thin the cushion really is

Most small businesses run on a surprisingly small cash buffer, which is why clean banking and steady invoicing matter so much.

27 days
of cash buffer for the median small business
Enough to cover 27 days of typical outflows. [3]
$12,100
median average daily cash balance
JPMorgan Chase Institute. [3]
13 days
of buffer for businesses at the 25th percentile
The top quartile holds 62 days. [3]
16 days
of buffer for the median restaurant
The thinnest-cushioned industry studied. [3]

Financial challenges and financing

Rising costs and uneven cash flow are the challenges owners name most, and most sought financing in the past year.

75%
cite rising costs as a financial challenge
The single most common challenge. [4]
51%
cite uneven cash flow as a challenge
56% cite paying operating expenses. [4]
59%
sought new financing in the past 12 months
Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey. [4]
~50%
of applicant firms had their funding needs fully met
Roughly half. [5]

Do small businesses survive?

Starting is common. Lasting is the hard part, and cash management is a big reason why.

1.4M
new business establishments opened in 2022
Business Employment Dynamics, via SBA. [1]
49.2%
of new establishments survive 5 years
Long-run average (1994 to 2021). [1]
33.8%
survive 10 years
Roughly one in three make it a decade. [1]
27 days
median cash buffer, again
A thin cushion is a survival risk. [3]
SoloMoneyStack original data

Landlords and rental property

Rental property is one of the most common small businesses in the U.S., and most of it is owned by individuals, not big companies. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 Rental Housing Finance Survey, released in February 2026, found:

  • About 60% of U.S. single-family rental properties are owned by individual investors (59.6%).
  • About 21% are held in LLCs, LPs, or LLPs (20.6%), up from 15.2% in 2021.
  • Under 2% are owned by institutional investors such as REITs and corporations (1.8%).

In the earlier 2021 survey, nearly 46% of all U.S. rental units were in properties with one to four units, the typical small landlord portfolio.

If you manage rentals as a small business, our Baselane review covers a free way to organize rent collection and property bookkeeping.

The money stack can start at $0

For our business banking and business credit card guides, we researched and evaluated 12 products built for solo and small businesses. Here is what we found on cost.

12 of 12 offered a $0 entry tier

Every account and card we reviewed can be opened with no monthly banking fee and no card annual fee to get started. The paid upgrades that add tax tools, bookkeeping, or higher yield ranged from $15 to $95 per month, with a median of $35.

100% held at FDIC-member banks

All 6 business bank accounts we reviewed place deposits with an FDIC-member partner bank, and several extend coverage well beyond the standard $250,000 through sweep networks.

Method: SoloMoneyStack analysis of 12 products (6 business bank accounts: Novo, Lili, Bluevine, Relay, Baselane, Found; and 6 business cards: American Express Blue Business Plus, Chase Ink Business Unlimited, Chase Ink Business Cash, Capital One Spark Cash Select, BILL Spend & Expense, Ramp). Entry-tier and upgrade pricing taken from each provider’s published terms, September 2026. Median computed across the 8 products that offer a paid upgrade tier. Figures change; verify current pricing with each provider.

Sources

  1. U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, 2024. advocacy.sba.gov
  2. Intuit QuickBooks, 2025 US Small Business Late Payments Report. quickbooks.intuit.com
  3. JPMorgan Chase Institute, Cash Flows, Balances, and Buffer Days. jpmorganchase.com
  4. Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey, Report on Employer Firms. fedsmallbusiness.org
  5. Fed Communities, Key insights from the Small Business Credit Survey. fedcommunities.org
  6. U.S. Census Bureau, Rental Housing Finance Survey, 2024 data released February 19, 2026 (single-family ownership figures as reported by CRE Daily).
  7. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, findings of the 2021 Rental Housing Finance Survey, November 29, 2022.
SoloMoneyStack is educational and informational only, and is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Statistics are drawn from the primary sources cited above and were accurate as of the dates those sources published. Figures change over time; follow the source links for the latest data.

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