U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Job growth at small businesses, 1992–2013

May 12, 2014

May 12 is the first day of Small Business Week. Small businesses and the jobs they create are perennially favorite topics for many people interested in the economy. How big are the job gains and job losses at small businesses? Between the third quarter of 1992 and the third quarter of 2013, small firms (those with 99 or fewer employees) accounted for 41.8 percent of the net employment change.

 

 
Quarterly net employment change by firm size class, third quarter 1992–third quarter 2013, seasonally adjusted
3 months ended Total, all firm sizes 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 or more

Sep 1992

 654,000 72,000 41,000 61,000 98,000 71,000 60,000 37,000 25,000 189,000

Dec 1992

 188,000 17,000 31,000 27,000 43,000 37,000 49,000 25,000 20,000 -61,000

Mar 1993

 302,000 46,000 2,000 7,000 29,000 38,000 65,000 38,000 42,000 35,000

Jun 1993

 726,000 63,000 54,000 59,000 76,000 54,000 71,000 58,000 67,000 224,000

Sep 1993

 1,001,000 120,000 77,000 96,000 134,000 104,000 122,000 77,000 44,000 227,000

Dec 1993

 611,000 37,000 60,000 71,000 116,000 87,000 97,000 60,000 55,000 28,000

Mar 1994

 554,000 33,000 18,000 38,000 65,000 62,000 82,000 63,000 52,000 141,000

Jun 1994

 905,000 61,000 46,000 55,000 89,000 71,000 102,000 85,000 60,000 336,000

Sep 1994

 1,321,000 131,000 100,000 126,000 183,000 128,000 143,000 85,000 82,000 343,000

Dec 1994

 475,000 -9,000 24,000 45,000 80,000 75,000 101,000 62,000 55,000 42,000

Mar 1995

 782,000 74,000 43,000 57,000 102,000 86,000 94,000 57,000 53,000 216,000

Jun 1995

 363,000 44,000 20,000 21,000 20,000 19,000 38,000 24,000 30,000 147,000

Sep 1995

 900,000 33,000 38,000 65,000 117,000 87,000 98,000 61,000 80,000 321,000

Dec 1995

 360,000 16,000 34,000 42,000 78,000 65,000 85,000 57,000 23,000 -40,000

Mar 1996

 565,000 52,000 29,000 43,000 76,000 54,000 59,000 27,000 11,000 214,000

Jun 1996

 650,000 57,000 33,000 29,000 22,000 20,000 30,000 57,000 53,000 349,000

Sep 1996

 735,000 80,000 43,000 60,000 88,000 63,000 94,000 52,000 51,000 204,000

Dec 1996

 797,000 28,000 50,000 70,000 112,000 94,000 120,000 68,000 62,000 193,000

Mar 1997

 889,000 87,000 57,000 72,000 116,000 81,000 79,000 60,000 24,000 313,000

Jun 1997

 623,000 38,000 25,000 25,000 24,000 34,000 67,000 56,000 41,000 313,000

Sep 1997

 963,000 29,000 36,000 63,000 116,000 92,000 126,000 60,000 68,000 373,000

Dec 1997

 653,000 -3,000 27,000 46,000 80,000 65,000 87,000 74,000 61,000 216,000

Mar 1998

 916,000 57,000 22,000 30,000 49,000 56,000 84,000 72,000 79,000 467,000

Jun 1998

 610,000 121,000 65,000 63,000 56,000 25,000 38,000 13,000 15,000 214,000

Sep 1998

 809,000 20,000 9,000 30,000 53,000 50,000 76,000 57,000 52,000 462,000

Dec 1998

 693,000 16,000 50,000 68,000 124,000 89,000 97,000 63,000 41,000 145,000

Mar 1999

 514,000 69,000 37,000 26,000 32,000 29,000 23,000 3,000 14,000 281,000

Jun 1999

 622,000 14,000 21,000 36,000 60,000 42,000 69,000 43,000 43,000 294,000

Sep 1999

 618,000 17,000 26,000 50,000 80,000 63,000 72,000 46,000 41,000 223,000

Dec 1999

 957,000 43,000 68,000 96,000 137,000 96,000 129,000 83,000 77,000 228,000

Mar 2000

 910,000 87,000 63,000 64,000 94,000 82,000 109,000 87,000 71,000 253,000

Jun 2000

 460,000 12,000 1,000 7,000 23,000 31,000 49,000 36,000 46,000 255,000

Sep 2000

 316,000 8,000 9,000 20,000 39,000 41,000 51,000 21,000 25,000 102,000

Dec 2000

 266,000 -2,000 -3,000 9,000 29,000 20,000 40,000 20,000 11,000 142,000

Mar 2001

 52,000 13,000 7,000 9,000 -6,000 -29,000 -58,000 -51,000 -24,000 191,000

Jun 2001

 -843,000 4,000 -12,000 -36,000 -79,000 -75,000 -105,000 -91,000 -86,000 -363,000

Sep 2001

 -1,214,000 -56,000 -50,000 -59,000 -106,000 -107,000 -146,000 -116,000 -114,000 -460,000

Dec 2001

 -1,041,000 10,000 -17,000 -34,000 -77,000 -87,000 -113,000 -90,000 -86,000 -547,000

Mar 2002

 70,000 29,000 21,000 9,000 -5,000 -22,000 -30,000 -9,000 -19,000 96,000

Jun 2002

 -61,000 51,000 16,000 4,000 -2,000 4,000 -11,000 -18,000 -20,000 -85,000

Sep 2002

 -176,000 35,000 8,000 -2,000 -21,000 -20,000 -26,000 -16,000 -12,000 -122,000

Dec 2002

 -247,000 23,000 3,000 -7,000 -22,000 -35,000 -38,000 -26,000 -18,000 -127,000

Mar 2003

 -326,000 -7,000 -25,000 -40,000 -63,000 -30,000 -26,000 -21,000 -22,000 -92,000

Jun 2003

 -137,000 41,000 30,000 20,000 21,000 -6,000 -20,000 -20,000 -33,000 -170,000

Sep 2003

 193,000 45,000 26,000 27,000 22,000 8,000 13,000 4,000 0 48,000

Dec 2003

 310,000 52,000 22,000 33,000 39,000 16,000 16,000 23,000 9,000 100,000

Mar 2004

 430,000 46,000 26,000 26,000 55,000 58,000 79,000 40,000 30,000 70,000

Jun 2004

 621,000 35,000 20,000 39,000 75,000 70,000 71,000 37,000 47,000 227,000

Sep 2004

 197,000 27,000 16,000 17,000 28,000 32,000 56,000 38,000 9,000 -26,000

Dec 2004

 759,000 93,000 48,000 56,000 77,000 39,000 62,000 39,000 45,000 300,000

Mar 2005

 368,000 12,000 6,000 13,000 35,000 37,000 60,000 45,000 21,000 139,000

Jun 2005

 570,000 64,000 35,000 55,000 89,000 71,000 75,000 50,000 47,000 84,000

Sep 2005

 701,000 71,000 42,000 46,000 59,000 36,000 49,000 50,000 58,000 290,000

Dec 2005

 506,000 84,000 22,000 29,000 34,000 20,000 25,000 21,000 4,000 267,000

Mar 2006

 788,000 63,000 55,000 78,000 138,000 97,000 125,000 75,000 66,000 91,000

Jun 2006

 375,000 20,000 13,000 23,000 61,000 45,000 65,000 49,000 42,000 57,000

Sep 2006

 43,000 -7,000 -3,000 -4,000 0 18,000 9,000 17,000 10,000 3,000

Dec 2006

 447,000 52,000 12,000 19,000 34,000 31,000 43,000 5,000 21,000 230,000

Mar 2007

 466,000 27,000 39,000 51,000 72,000 41,000 58,000 33,000 44,000 101,000

Jun 2007

 174,000 -42,000 -19,000 1,000 29,000 41,000 67,000 48,000 31,000 18,000

Sep 2007

 -269,000 -17,000 -25,000 -42,000 -48,000 -20,000 -33,000 -13,000 -9,000 -62,000

Dec 2007

 298,000 11,000 -12,000 -1,000 10,000 18,000 45,000 31,000 16,000 180,000

Mar 2008

 -290,000 -72,000 -32,000 -22,000 -28,000 -13,000 -1,000 1,000 -4,000 -119,000

Jun 2008

 -548,000 -107,000 -63,000 -58,000 -56,000 -27,000 -14,000 -19,000 -23,000 -181,000

Sep 2008

 -999,000 -91,000 -65,000 -76,000 -114,000 -66,000 -85,000 -47,000 -60,000 -395,000

Dec 2008

 -1,869,000 -146,000 -144,000 -168,000 -237,000 -177,000 -197,000 -124,000 -110,000 -566,000

Mar 2009

 -2,664,000 -233,000 -175,000 -218,000 -357,000 -284,000 -331,000 -213,000 -184,000 -669,000

Jun 2009

 -1,764,000 -114,000 -94,000 -106,000 -158,000 -123,000 -154,000 -116,000 -131,000 -768,000

Sep 2009

 -940,000 -128,000 -63,000 -74,000 -109,000 -55,000 -63,000 -56,000 -40,000 -352,000

Dec 2009

 -289,000 -6,000 -44,000 -55,000 -57,000 -29,000 -14,000 -16,000 -18,000 -50,000

Mar 2010

 -240,000 -91,000 -38,000 -34,000 -35,000 -5,000 2,000 19,000 12,000 -70,000

Jun 2010

 692,000 26,000 29,000 61,000 122,000 90,000 119,000 69,000 56,000 120,000

Sep 2010

 188,000 -7,000 5,000 7,000 18,000 36,000 43,000 37,000 35,000 14,000

Dec 2010

 519,000 51,000 7,000 4,000 23,000 30,000 65,000 51,000 41,000 247,000

Mar 2011

 313,000 -18,000 16,000 38,000 57,000 55,000 63,000 45,000 29,000 28,000

Jun 2011

 548,000 -3,000 35,000 60,000 104,000 77,000 99,000 56,000 31,000 89,000

Sep 2011

 823,000 76,000 54,000 50,000 79,000 71,000 90,000 62,000 73,000 268,000

Dec 2011

 321,000 28,000 -5,000 0 16,000 16,000 29,000 31,000 22,000 184,000

Mar 2012

 846,000 54,000 85,000 108,000 138,000 100,000 117,000 77,000 64,000 103,000

Jun 2012

 604,000 16,000 20,000 48,000 94,000 76,000 91,000 72,000 60,000 127,000

Sep 2012

 213,000 17,000 14,000 9,000 9,000 20,000 24,000 24,000 31,000 65,000

Dec 2012

 637,000 75,000 21,000 26,000 47,000 35,000 55,000 50,000 31,000 297,000

Mar 2013

 1,198,000 69,000 46,000 71,000 95,000 70,000 86,000 54,000 70,000 637,000

Jun 2013

 643,000 23,000 34,000 59,000 101,000 62,000 81,000 49,000 41,000 193,000

Sep 2013

 386,000 47,000 42,000 32,000 33,000 20,000 34,000 18,000 32,000 128,000

Average net employment change by firm size, third quarter 1992–third quarter 2013, seasonally adjusted

 285,000 21,000 15,000 21,000 34,000 28,000 38,000 24,000 20,000 84,000

 

During the 3 months that ended September 2013, there was a net increase of 386,000 jobs. Small firms were responsible for 174,000, while firms with 100 or more employees increased their total employment by 212,000.

Over the span of the Business Employment Dynamics time series, small firms showed significantly higher levels of both gross job gains and job losses than large firms. High rates of gross job gains and losses show evidence of more turnover and volatility in small firms.

Small firms experienced more net job losses in the recession of the early 1990s than large firms did, and the opposite was true in the 2001 recession. During the recession that began in December 2007, neither group experienced a clear majority of job losses—firms of all sizes were similarly affected.

These data are from the Business Employment Dynamics (BDM) program. For more data like these, see National Business Employment Dynamics Data by Firm Size Class.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Job growth at small businesses, 1992–2013 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140512.htm (visited March 15, 2026).