--- url: 'https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/founder-the-untrained-team/' title: '75.4% of Employers With 1 to 4 People Said None of Their Employees Received Training. At 20 to 49: 40.4%' author: name: Samantha Lankford url: 'https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/author/sam/' date: '2026-10-21T15:30:00-04:00' modified: '2026-10-21T15:30:00-04:00' type: post summary: 'Census''s Annual Business Survey: 75.4% of employers with 1 to 4 people said no employee received training. It falls at every size band through 20 to 49.' categories: - Blog Post image: 'https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/founder-the-untrained-team-hero.webp' published: true --- # 75.4% of Employers With 1 to 4 People Said None of Their Employees Received Training. At 20 to 49: 40.4% ![The Lonely Entrepreneur](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/TLE_Logo_mobile-490W-26-26.png)Founder Data Report ![75.4% of Employers With 1 to 4 People Said None of Their Employees Received Training. At 20 to 49: 40.4%](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/founder-the-untrained-team-hero.webp) Founder Data Report # 75.4% of Employers With 1 to 4 People Said None of Their Employees Received Training. At 20 to 49: 40.4% By Michael Dermer • Updated October 21, 2026 You can’t afford to risk your business without a Sidekick at your side. [Book a Call →](https://lp.lonelyentrepreneur.com/meetings/victoria-sherman/sidekick-call) Census asked employers what share of their people received training. At the smallest firms, three in four said nobody did. Quick Answer In the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey 2023, **75.4%** of employer firms with 1 to 4 employees said **none of their employees received training**. The share falls at every size band through 20 to 49 employees, where it is **40.4%**, and it is 22.8% at 100 to 249. Among small firms that trained anyone, the mix differs too: safety training was the most common area at 20 to 49 employees (64.5%), while at 1 to 4 four other areas ranked above it (32.7%). The 30-second version - No employee received training: 75.4% of firms with 1 to 4 employees, 59.5% at 5 to 9, 49.2% at 10 to 19, 40.4% at 20 to 49. - Training most of the staff (76% to 100% of employees): 16.7% at 1 to 4, 31.7% at 20 to 49. - Among firms that trained anyone, a larger share of those with 20 to 49 employees covered each named area than of those with 1 to 4. - Safety training: 32.7% of training firms at 1 to 4, 64.5% at 20 to 49. - Roughly half of firms in each size band answered. The survey does not say why smaller firms train less, or what training changed. ## Three in four of the smallest employers trained no one The survey asked each employer what share of its employees received training, with one answer allowed. At firms with 1 to 4 employees, **75.4%** said none did. That is about 1.13 million of the 1.50 million firms of that size that answered. The share falls at each step up: 59.5% at 5 to 9 employees, 49.2% at 10 to 19, and **40.4%** at 20 to 49. It falls again at 50 to 99 (32.5%), just clear of the survey’s margin of error. At 100 to 249 it is 22.8%, which cannot be told apart from 50 to 99. The Data Share of employer firms where none of the employees received training, by employment size 1–4 employees75.4%5–9 employees59.5%10–19 employees49.2%20–49 employees40.4%50–99 employees32.5%100–249 employees22.8% Share of firms answering the question. Roughly half of the firms in each band answered. Larger bands are not shown: their margins of error run 13 to 39 points wide. U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey 2023, Module Characteristics of Businesses by employment size of firm (AB2300MCB04), questions on employee training, U.S. employer firms, all sectors; retrieved from census.gov on October 11, 2026. > At firms with 1 to 4 employees, three in four said none of their people received training. ## Training nobody, or training nearly everybody The other end of the same question is the firms where 76% to 100% of employees received training. That share rises as the other falls: **16.7%** at 1 to 4 employees, 23.1% at 5 to 9, 27.7% at 10 to 19 and 31.7% at 20 to 49. Up to 20 to 49, firms that trained no one outnumber firms that trained nearly everyone. At 100 to 249 it is the other way round, 38.8% against 22.8%. At 50 to 99 the two are level within the survey’s margins. The Data No employees trained versus 76% to 100% trained, share of employer firms, by employment size 1–4 employees No one trained75.4% 76–100% trained16.7% 5–9 employees No one trained59.5% 76–100% trained23.1% 10–19 employees No one trained49.2% 76–100% trained27.7% 20–49 employees No one trained40.4% 76–100% trained31.7% 50–99 employees No one trained32.5% 76–100% trained35.8% 100–249 employees No one trained22.8% 76–100% trained38.8% Share of firms answering the question. The other answers (1% to 75% of employees trained) are not shown. All bars on one scale. U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey 2023, Module Characteristics of Businesses by employment size of firm (AB2300MCB04), questions on employee training, U.S. employer firms, all sectors; retrieved from census.gov on October 11, 2026. ## What the firms that do train, train for Firms that trained anyone were asked which areas the training covered, and could tick more than one. At 20 to 49 employees, **safety training**, OSHA or other, led every other area at 64.5%. At 1 to 4, four other areas ranked above it, at 32.7%; the top two there were other government-required training (38.1%) and sales and customer service (37.6%), level with each other. A larger share of firms with 20 to 49 employees covered each named area, and on average they ticked about 3.2 areas against 2.3 at 1 to 4, counting the shares the survey publishes. The Data Areas of training among employer firms that trained anyone, 1 to 4 versus 20 to 49 employees Safety (OSHA or other) 1–4 employees32.7% 20–49 employees64.5% Other government-required 1–4 employees38.1% 20–49 employees51.8% Sales and customer service 1–4 employees37.6% 20–49 employees45.2% Computers or new equipment 1–4 employees35.9% 20–49 employees48.0% Teamwork or problem-solving 1–4 employees34.8% 20–49 employees49.7% Same equipment and tools 1–4 employees28.3% 20–49 employees45.5% Other areas 1–4 employees24.0% 20–49 employees15.2% Share of firms that trained at least one employee. Firms could select more than one area, so the shares do not add to 100. All bars on one scale. U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey 2023, Module Characteristics of Businesses by employment size of firm (AB2300MCB04), questions on employee training, U.S. employer firms, all sectors; retrieved from census.gov on October 11, 2026. ## What to take from this if you run the place In a business of three or four people, much of what gets taught may happen informally, with the owner showing someone how it is done. The survey cannot say whether the firms answering ‘none’ counted that, and it does not show that formal training makes a small business run better. What it does show is how many of the smallest employers report no training at all, and how far that share drops by the time a firm has 20 to 49 employees. A fair question for Monday: if you were out for a month, which job in your business has only ever been learned by watching you, and who would you teach it to first? Four limits worth holding. The survey covers **employer firms**; businesses with no one on the payroll are left out. Roughly **half the firms in each size band answered** these questions, and the shares are of the firms that answered. The question asks what share of employees received training; it does not define training or say over what period. And the survey records **what firms did, not why**, or what it changed. The Data Who gets trained 75.4% of firms with 1 to 4 employees said no employee received training 40.4% of firms with 20 to 49 employees said the same 16.7% of firms with 1 to 4 employees trained 76% to 100% of their people 64.5% of training firms with 20 to 49 employees covered safety U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey 2023, Module Characteristics of Businesses (AB2300MCB04). ## Frequently Asked Questions How many small businesses train their employees? In Census's Annual Business Survey 2023, 75.4% of employer firms with 1 to 4 employees said none of their employees received training, against 40.4% of firms with 20 to 49 employees. Does training rise with company size? Yes, at each step from 1 to 4 employees through 20 to 49. The share of firms training no one falls from 75.4% to 40.4%, and the share training 76% to 100% of employees rises from 16.7% to 31.7%. What kind of training do small firms give? Among firms with 1 to 4 employees that trained anyone, the most common areas were other government-required training (38.1%) and sales and customer service (37.6%). At 20 to 49 employees, safety training led at 64.5%. Does training make a business more successful? This survey does not show that. It records which firms trained their employees, not what the training changed. Where does the data come from? The U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey 2023, Module Characteristics of Businesses by employment size of firm (AB2300MCB04). Roughly half of the firms in each size band answered these questions. Keep reading - [Only 16% of U.S. Business Owners Studied Management. The Other Five in Six Are Doing the Job Anyway.](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/founder-trained-for-something-else/) - [Of Employers With 1 to 4 Employees Who Spot an Underperformer, 21.6% Leave Them in Place. At 20 to 49, 11.9% Do.](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/founder-left-in-place/) - [Owners With 1 to 4 Employees Rank Managing Them 61st of 75 Problems. At 20 to 49, It Ranks 9th.](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/founder-the-problem-you-hire-into/) Part of the entrepreneurial struggle: [Team](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/entrepreneur-struggle/team/) ![The Lonely Entrepreneur](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/TLE_Logo_mobile-490W-26-26.png) Published by **The Lonely Entrepreneur** — the community and coaching platform for entrepreneurs who are building alone. [lonelyentrepreneur.com](https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/) This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional financial or legal advice.