A small business is defined as a company with 50 to 1500 employees
According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses account for 99.9% of all businesses in the United States, employing nearly half the private sector employees in the country.
“While the failure rate of a new business is way too high, the fact that 99.9% of all businesses in the country are small businesses makes it a testament that if the planning is done right, it can be executed well,” according to the SBA.
An exploration into business growth starts with small businesses, helping entrepreneurs and business researchers understand the fastest-growing sector of the economy, which creates 43.5% of the United States’ GDP. The Upper Cumberland is no different. Small businesses are the largest percentage of all businesses in the area, according to recent numbers from Wayne Nabors.
According to the SBA, a small business is defined as a company with 50 to 1500 employees and a revenue ranging between $1 to $40 million. Since the 90s, small businesses have accounted for between 43.5% and ½ of the GDP.
“There are 34,836,451 small businesses in the United States as of 2025, accounting for 99.9% of all businesses. The number of US small businesses has grown by 0.28% in the past year and by over 9.7% from the start of this decade,” according to the SBA.
Small Business numbers year over year:
| Year | Number of Small Businesses |
| 2019 | 30.7 million |
| 2020 | 31.7 million |
| 2021 | 32.5 million |
| 2022 | 33.2 million |
| 2023 | 33.2 million |
| 2024 | 34.7 million |
| 2025 | 34.8 million |
Below is a listing of the newest business listings in Putnam County. Check it out. Numbers are courtesy of Putnam County Clerk Wayne Nabors.
New-Business-listing-May-2025-dragged New-Business-listing-May-2025-dragged-2Copyright 2025 The Upper Cumberland Business Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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