The Office of Advocacy at the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) disseminates small business economic data and statistics, such as:
- Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB)
- Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics (NES)
- Census Bureau Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE)
- Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners (SBO)
- Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Business Employment Dynamics (BED)
Access to SBA data
The above databases are rich, free sources of raw information for academic research in entrepreneurship and small business. Of the numerous surveys that the Small Business Administration conducts from time to time, some have been used in the following works of entrepreneurship research:
- Wichmann, H. (1983). Accounting and Marketing—Key Small Business Problems. American Journal of Small Business, 7(4), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225878300700404
- Solomon, G. T., Weaver, K. M., & Fernald, L. W., Jr. (1994). A Historical Examination of Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship Pedagogy. Simulation & Gaming, 25(3), 338–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878194253003
The SBA also maintains a list of non-governmental datasets that track entrepreneurship and small business in the US. This includes the Kaufmann Index, the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED), and many others.
The US SBA website also has a wonderful collection of infographics that provide a powerful visual illustration of the creation, growth, and health of small businesses in the US.