Membership Directory
Detroit Regional Chamber > Small Business > Jan. 2026 Small Business Data Outlook: Concerns Continue into New Year

Jan. 2026 Small Business Data Outlook: Concerns Continue into New Year

January 22, 2026

Jan. 2026 Small Business Data

  • Summary: Economic conditions are generally favorable for Main Street employers heading into the new year.

    • 24% of small business owners expect the economy to improve in the next 3-months (9 points higher than November).
    • 13% of small business owners believe it is a good time to expand their business (no change from October and November).
    • -8% of small businesses reported higher sales in the past 3-months (1 point better than November) and 10% of small business owners expect higher sales in the next 3-months (5 points lower than November).
    • 19% of small businesses reported labor quality as their top concern (2 points lower than November) and 9% reported labor costs as their top concern (1 point higher than November).
    • 12% of small businesses listed inflation as their top concern (3 points lower than November).
    • 12% of small businesses listed inflation as their top concern (3 points lower than November).
    • 33% of small businesses reported job openings they could not fill (no change from November) and 91% of those trying to hire reported few or no qualified applicants (2 points higher than November).
    • 53% of small businesses hired or tried to hire in October (3 points lower than November) and 17% of small businesses plan on hiring in the next 3-months (2 points lower than November).
    • 31% of small business owners raised compensation in the past 3-months (5 points higher than November) and 24% plan on raising compensation in the next 3-months (no change from November).
    • 30% of small businesses raised their prices (4 points lower than November) and 28% are planning on raising prices in the next 3-months (2 points lower than November).
    • 56% of small business owners reported capital outlays in the last 6-months (4 points higher than November) and 19% are planning capital purchases in the next 3-months (1 point lower than November).
    • -5% of small business owners expect better credit conditions in the next 3-months (no change from November).
    • Small businesses paid an average rate for short maturity loans of 8.4% (0.5 points higher than November) and 25% of small business owners report borrowing on a regular basis  (2 points higher than November).

Learn more about this data from the NFIB December Small Business Optimism Index, published on Jan. 13, 2026.

jan. 2026 small business outlook wbe feature - business team looking over reports

24% of small business owners expect the economy to improve in the next 3-months.

Summary: Small businesses believe inflation will continue to be their top challenge in 2026 and will impact profitability and ability to hire. Larger small businesses are doing better than their smaller counterparts and small employers in Salt Lake City are the most optimistic.

  • 74% of small business owners are optimistic about the outlook the upcoming year (down 1-point from last year).
  • 76% of small business owners expect revenue growth in the new year (up 2-points from last year).
  • 76% of small business owners expect higher profits in the new year (up 2-points from last year).
  • 54% of small businesses expect to hire more employees (down 2 points from last year).
  • 88% of respondents in Salt Lake City were positive about their own small businesses compared to 74% of all respondents.
  • 84% of large-revenue small businesses are positive about the state of their own firms compared to 60% of small-revenue businesses.
  • 38% of small business owners anticipate that tariffs will hurt their businesses in 2026 and 26% believe tariffs will help their businesses.
  • 43% of respondents in San Francisco believe tariffs will have no impact on their small businesses in 2026 compared to 29% of all respondents.

Learn more about this data from the JPMorganChase Annual Business Leaders Outlook, published on Jan. 7, 2026.

jan. 2026 small business outlook wbe feature - business team looking over reports - business optimism

60% of small business owners feel more optimistic now than at any point in the past 5-years.

Summary: Consumers shopped for bargains and were seemingly undaunted by across-the-board price increases in December. That spending kept the economy going.

  • Month-over-month sales at small businesses increased slightly in December after November’s dip (+0.8% change) and year-over-year sales at small businesses continued to go up (+1.6% change) compared to December 2024.

Learn more about this data from the Fiserv December Small Business Index, published on Jan. 2, 2026.