Fact-check · Oct 20, 2026
“Outside of our big cities, they account for over half of all jobs”
TRUE
What the record shows
SBA's 2025 Rural Areas Profile: small businesses account for over 56% of employment outside metropolitan areas, compared to 48% in metropolitan areas.
Small businesses employ over half of workers outside big cities. SBA data confirms 56.6% employment share in rural/nonmetro areas.
Sources
- What Percentage of Businesses are Small Businesses?
- Mapped: America’s Small Business Employment, by State
- Small businesses continue to outpace large businesses in job creation : The Economics Daily : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Small Business Statistics in 2024
- How Many Small Businesses Are in the U.S.?
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. What is a small business?
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