New business statistics: 2005 to March 2026

It’s been a big few years for business applications in the US, with 5.62 million business applications being submitted in 2025, according to the US Census Bureau. So far in 2026 there have been 1.03 million applications lodged, up 25.54% compared to the same period last year.

Business applications: 2005–2026

Since the start of 2026 business applications are up 25.54% compared to the first 2 months of 2025, with 1,028,762 businesses in 2026 compared to 819,473 in 2025.

Monthly business applications: 2005 – 2026

Monthly business applications have been strong since the pandemic, peaking in July 2020 with 552,214. Since May 2020, the monthly average number of business applications sits at 442,461 compared to 232,475 per month (avg. from January 2005–April 2020).

Month-over-month change

Month-over-month business applications were down in February 2026, with 496,443 submissions compared to the 532,319 business applications submitted in January 2025 — a decrease of 6.74%.

Which month sees the most applications?

While you may think of summer as a time for vacation, it’s actually the busiest time of year for new business apllications with July seeing the most applications at an average of 297,980. On the otherside of the coin is January, with just 281,303 applications being filed.

Number of business applications: 2005–2026

In 2025, business applications were up with 5.62 million applications being submitted compared to 5.2 million in 2024, well above the annual average of 3.47 million since 2005. With the number of business applications increasing by an average of 4.4% each year since 2005, we can expect that 2026 will see roughly 5.33 million applications.

How many of these applications turn into businesses?

In addition to the business applications data, the US Census Bureau also offers formation predictions, basically a forecast of how many business applications will become an employer (wage-paying) business within four quarters.

While business applications are up, the percentage of those who start a new business that will have payroll tax liabilities within 12 months of submitting their business application is on the decline. Since 2005, the US Census Bureau predicted an average of 10.2% of applications would become businesses within four quarters of submitting their applications.

Business formation statistics release dates 2026

There will be 12 releases in 2026, with the next update coming on Wednesday, April 8 2026, with information related to business formation in March 2026.

• Methodology

  Finder reviewed business application data available from the US Census Bureau.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Richard Laycock

Editorial & PR Lead

Richard Laycock is Finder’s NYC-based lead editor & insights editor, spending the last decade data diving, writing and editing articles about all things personal finance. His musings can be found across the web including on NASDAQ, MoneyMag, Yahoo Finance and Travel Weekly. Richard studied Media at Macquarie University, including a semester abroad at The Missouri School of Journalism (MIZZOU). See full bio