New businesses: where the competition is coming from
By industry, September 2026
534,947 applications in all (seasonally adjusted), +4.4% on a year earlier.
| Industry | Applications | On a year | Share | Likely to hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media and software | 13,806 | +49.2% | 2.6% | 11.5% |
| Manufacturing | 8,114 | +30.3% | 1.5% | 31.3% |
| Professional services | 78,937 | +20.3% | 14.8% | 21.3% |
| Wholesale | 9,997 | +17.1% | 1.9% | 22.9% |
| Cleaning, landscaping and admin services | 38,030 | +16.0% | 7.1% | 12.9% |
| Education and tutoring | 8,554 | +14.1% | 1.6% | 12.9% |
| Transportation and delivery | 34,792 | +13.1% | 6.5% | 14.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 20,548 | +9.7% | 3.8% | 29.4% |
| Construction and trades | 48,078 | +9.1% | 9.0% | 50.5% |
| Fitness, arts and recreation | 15,180 | +8.0% | 2.8% | 10.6% |
| Mining | 569 | +6.2% | 0.1% | 18.6% |
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 3,892 | +6.0% | 0.7% | 14.0% |
| Repair, salons and personal services | 42,149 | +5.2% | 7.9% | 12.3% |
| Health care and childcare | 32,198 | +2.6% | 6.0% | 67.2% |
| Utilities | 540 | -1.8% | 0.1% | 9.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and lodging | 26,600 | -2.3% | 5.0% | 100.0% |
| Real estate and rentals | 23,857 | -5.0% | 4.5% | 8.5% |
| Retail and online stores | 110,048 | -13.6% | 20.6% | 19.2% |
By state, last four weeks to week 39 of 2026
| State | Applications | Same weeks last year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Missouri | 12,830 | 9,140 | +40.4% |
| 2. Utah | 7,330 | 5,920 | +23.8% |
| 3. Oklahoma | 4,680 | 4,140 | +13.0% |
| 4. Connecticut | 3,980 | 3,640 | +9.3% |
| 5. New Jersey | 13,060 | 12,100 | +7.9% |
| 6. Idaho | 2,790 | 2,590 | +7.7% |
| 7. Arkansas | 3,160 | 2,950 | +7.1% |
| 8. Indiana | 7,070 | 6,620 | +6.8% |
| 9. California | 43,450 | 41,560 | +4.5% |
| 10. Maryland | 7,610 | 7,290 | +4.4% |
| 11. Wyoming | 6,150 | 5,920 | +3.9% |
| 12. Massachusetts | 5,970 | 5,750 | +3.8% |
| 13. Oregon | 4,440 | 4,330 | +2.5% |
| 14. Colorado | 10,670 | 10,620 | +0.5% |
| 15. Montana | 2,540 | 2,580 | -1.6% |
| 16. Pennsylvania | 11,800 | 12,070 | -2.2% |
| 17. Mississippi | 4,280 | 4,380 | -2.3% |
| 18. Georgia | 18,540 | 19,100 | -2.9% |
| 19. Alabama | 5,630 | 5,810 | -3.1% |
| 20. Kentucky | 5,180 | 5,380 | -3.7% |
| 21. Virginia | 10,450 | 10,880 | -4.0% |
| 22. Washington | 8,260 | 8,640 | -4.4% |
| 23. New Mexico | 3,620 | 3,830 | -5.5% |
| 24. New York | 21,560 | 22,890 | -5.8% |
| 25. Ohio | 12,460 | 13,330 | -6.5% |
| 26. Iowa | 2,720 | 2,910 | -6.5% |
| 27. Louisiana | 5,700 | 6,120 | -6.9% |
| 28. Illinois | 13,560 | 14,710 | -7.8% |
| 29. Michigan | 11,150 | 12,120 | -8.0% |
| 30. Delaware | 4,190 | 4,560 | -8.1% |
| 31. Minnesota | 5,850 | 6,390 | -8.5% |
| 32. Florida | 45,320 | 49,770 | -8.9% |
| 33. South Carolina | 7,100 | 7,890 | -10.0% |
| 34. Kansas | 3,020 | 3,370 | -10.4% |
| 35. Arizona | 11,040 | 12,330 | -10.5% |
| 36. Texas | 40,450 | 45,780 | -11.6% |
| 37. North Carolina | 13,930 | 16,310 | -14.6% |
| 38. Wisconsin | 5,230 | 6,290 | -16.9% |
| 39. Nebraska | 1,700 | 2,050 | -17.1% |
| 40. Tennessee | 7,840 | 9,510 | -17.6% |
| 41. Hawaii | 1,200 | 1,550 | -22.6% |
| 42. Nevada | 4,100 | 5,420 | -24.4% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (monthly, seasonally adjusted; weekly by state, not adjusted). States with fewer than 1,500 applications in the comparison weeks are left out. Updated 2026-10-27.