The U.S. has 8,298,562 employer workplaces but only 6,395,635 employer companies. 22.9% of workplaces are not their company's first location.
The average American now checks their phone 186 times a day, and 85% reach for it within ten minutes of waking. For a founder, the phone isn't a distractio
The S corporation is the most common employer form in 15 of 19 industries, peaking at 66.4% in construction. Four industries break the pattern.
51.4% of U.S. for-profit employers are S corporations - more than every other form combined. But C corporations hold 50.2% of the jobs.
The share of U.S. private workplaces with fewer than five people rose from 62.1% to 67.1% between 2017 and 2025, rising in every single year.
67.1% of U.S. private workplaces employ fewer than five people, and 89.7% employ fewer than twenty — but the under-five group holds only 8.0% of private-sector jobs.
Across 2024-2025 each establishment that opened added 1.62 jobs. In 19 of the 20 years since 2006 that figure sat between 1.57 and 1.76. Only 2020 broke the band.
79.1% of private-sector jobs added last quarter came from existing establishments that expanded - only 20.9% from new openings.
35.8% of firms with 1-4 employees say supplier delivery times do not apply to them. Of those it does apply to, 10.3% saw waits lengthen vs 5.2% at 250+.
Census asked every firm size the same question: 83.7% of firms with 1-4 employees expect no change in headcount in six months. At 250+ employees, 55.5%.
Census asks every business size the same question. Firms with 1-4 employees answered revenue down more often than up in all 74 fortnights on record.
Across 74 fortnights of Census data, more US businesses cut hours than cut staff in every one. Each January the gap triples and headcount holds.
Sole proprietorships deducted $150.2bn for cars and trucks in 2023 against $121.8bn for salaries and wages. Where a Schedule C dollar really goes.
IRS data on 31.1 million US sole proprietorships: average receipts $66,285, average net income $12,119, and 31.2% reported no profit at all.
Of small businesses that carry stock, 31.8% hold less than they need, against 6.7% at the largest firms. And they do not expect that to change.
Census data: small-business weather losses peak every January, three years running, and the cause flips with the season. Snow in winter, heat in August.
Census data: 25.5% of businesses say rates cut profits, at every size alike. But 1-4 person firms are 3.3x likelier to say rates stopped them investing.
Federal data says employers with 1-9 staff have the lowest quit rate in the economy. It peaks at 50-249, about 62% higher. Turnover arrives with growth.
The IRS estimates a small S corporation return takes 50 hours and $4,200 - before you owe a dollar. Its own figure, printed in the form instructions.
Business applications hit a record 578,926 in July 2026. Only 6.9% named a date they would start paying wages - down from 35.5% in 2005.
In 2026, 59% of freelancers report income that swings from month to month — and for founders, there's no employer to smooth the drop. The result: 68% lose
Nearly half of small-business owners plan to exit within five years — yet only 20–30% of businesses that go to market ever sell, and about 1 in 3 owners ha
In 2026, 78.4% of U.S. businesses have zero employees — just the owner. If you get the flu, break an arm, or need a week for a family emergency, revenue do
When you left your job to build your own thing, you didn't just walk away from a salary. You walked away from the ~30% of it your employer was quietly payi
KFF 2025: family premiums are close at small and large firms ($26,054 vs $27,280) - but the worker's own share is $8,889 against $6,227.
