National Small Business Week is the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) annual event celebrating the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners from across the country. Through many in-person activities across the U.S. and a virtual summit, the SBA recognizes the hard work, innovation, and commitment to building our nation’s economy. Recognized through proclamation by the President of the United States since 1963, National Small Business Week 2025 takes place May 4th– May 10th. The tradition led by the SBA for over 60 years is co-hosted by SCORE.
National Small Business Week 2025 Events
On May 5th, the 2025 State Small Business Persons of the Year from across the U.S., DC, and Puerto Rico will be recognized by the SBA at ceremonies in Washington, DC. Additional National Small Business Week 2025 award recipients are recognized across six other categories including: Small Business Exporter of the Year, Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery, Federal Procurement Awards, Awards to SBA Resource Partners, Small Business Investment Company of the Year, and Surety Bond Agent of the Year. SBA Administrator Loeffler will then visit four cities as part of the National Small Business Week roadshow tour, these include: Boise, ID, Phoenix, AZ, Nashville, TN, and Hartford, CT.
The SBA continues the tradition of hosting the free Virtual Summit, taking place Tuesday, May 6 – Wednesday May 7. The summit features access to federal resources, educational workshops, and networking to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and build resilient businesses. More details on the summit agenda can be found here. The event is open to the public and registration is free.
To celebrate National Small Business Week, the SBA will host several events across the country. Find information about local-area events online using #NSBW. Or join the conversation on social media using #SmallBusinessWeek. Full details can be found at sba.gov/nsbw
America’s Small Businesses – By the Numbers
Small businesses are the driving force behind our nation’s economy and the backbone of local communities. They’ve consistently fueled job creation across a wide range of industries, contributing to economic growth and stability. Over the last decade, small businesses have accounted for 55% of the net total new jobs created in the U.S. Professional and business services represent one of the leading sectors for small businesses. This category spans a broad range of fields, from leadership transition to marketing and advertising services. As small businesses continue to grow, their innovation transforms markets and drives economic progress in their communities.
The SBA Office of Advocacy 2024 U.S. Small Business Profile reports key indicators of America’s small business, highlights include:
- 34.8 million small businesses (99.9% of U.S. businesses)
- 59.0 small business employees (45.9% of U.S. employees)
Visit the 2024 Small Business Profiles for the States, Territories, and Nation and Small Business Facts to learn more.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Additional Small Business Resources
Already in business or thinking about starting your own small business? Check out our various small business resources:
- View our small business help topics here: Small Business Information Center
- View our business reports here: Small Business Snapshots
- View our industry-specific research here: Market Research Links
- View our small business cybersecurity resources here: Cybersecurity
About the SBDC National Blog
The SBDC National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNet) is the official business research and support program for the national SBDC network. For over 25 years, the SBDCNet has been dedicated to meeting the information and resource needs of the small business community and working in partnership with SBDCs to ensure their clients’ success. The SBDC National Blog is a publication of SBDCNet that features small business news, stories and more. If you have a small business resource or SBDC client success story you think would make a great feature, please Contact Us.
Photo credit: U.S. Small Business Administration
