2026 Main Street Metrics: Trends over Time from the Small Business Credit Survey (Federal Reserve Banks (Small Business Credit Survey))

Summary

• The share of employer firms reporting revenue growth in the prior 12 months ranged from 14% to 57% across the 2016 to 2025 surveys.p.5
• The share reporting employment growth in the prior 12 months ranged from 12% to 37% across survey years.p.6
• The share of firms with financial challenges in the prior 12 months ranged from 64% to 94% across the 2017 to 2025 surveys.p.10
• The share of firms with debt outstanding ranged between 67% and 79% across the surveys.p.13
• The share of firms that applied for new financing in the prior 12 months ranged from 25% to 40%.p.14
• The share of financing applicants fully approved ranged from 46% to 62% across the 2016 to 2025 surveys.p.15

Key insights

1. The publication summarizes time-series data for employer firms on 11 SBCS metrics.p.3
2. The share of firms in fair or poor financial condition ranged from 55% to 59% across the 2020 to 2025 surveys.p.12
3. Among firms with financial challenges, the share using the owner's personal funds ranged from 53% to 67%.p.11
4. The share of firms operating at a profit at the end of the prior year ranged from 35% to 65%.p.9
5. The share of firms expecting revenue increases in the next 12 months ranged from 41% to 72% across survey years.p.7
6. The share of firms expecting employment increases in the next 12 months ranged from 32% to 48%.p.8