Small Businesses By The Numbers: Why They Matter

Downtime from a power outage can negatively impact a single small business, but what does that mean to the economy as a whole? More than you might think. Consider these statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration:

• There are more than 26 million small businesses (companies with fewer than 500 employees) in the United States.
• More than 99 percent of American businesses are small, with the average small employer having one location and 10 employees. (By contrast, the average large business has 62 locations and 3,313 employees.)
• More than 45 percent of the total U.S. payroll comes from small businesses. Small businesses have generated more than 70 percent of all net new jobs annually during the past decade.

See more small-business statistics.