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Economic Data Brief |
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Business activity
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index — September 2026
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| Small Business Optimism Index fell 0.8% in September 2026 to 97.9, −0.9% from a year ago. Prior month: 98.7. | |
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Optimism
97.9
▼ −0.8% m/m
· −0.9% y/y
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Uncertainty Index
90.0
▲ +1.1% m/m
· −10.0% y/y
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Revision check| Revision check clear. Prior periods were checked against the values in the last report — no revisions found. All changes below are computed on current-vintage data. |
Key figures| Headline → | September 2026 | August 2026 | M/M chg | M/M % | Y/Y chg | Y/Y % | 12-period trend |
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| Small Business Optimism Index 1986=100; the 51-year average is 98 | 97.9 | 98.7 | ▼ −0.8 | ▼ −0.8% | ▼ −0.9 | ▼ −0.9% | | | Uncertainty Index | 90.0 | 89.0 | ▲ +1.0 | ▲ +1.1% | ▼ −10.0 | ▼ −10.0% | | | Trend bars show the level over the last 13 periods; the latest period is highlighted. |
What stood out- The 4.0 point rise in Inflation as single most important problem is the largest since July 2024.
Full detailShow every category and subcategory| Full detail — components → | September 2026 | August 2026 | M/M chg | M/M % | Y/Y chg | Y/Y % |
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| Plans to increase employment net percent | 17.0% | 17.0% | ▪ 0.0 pp | — | ▪ — | — | | Job openings hard to fill | 32.0% | 35.0% | ▼ −3.0 pp | — | ▪ — | — | | Plans to make capital outlays | 22.0% | 24.0% | ▼ −2.0 pp | — | ▪ — | — | | Raising average selling prices net percent | 31.0% | 31.0% | ▪ 0.0 pp | — | ▪ — | — | | Raising compensation | 28.0% | 31.0% | ▼ −3.0 pp | — | ▪ — | — | | Actual earnings changes net percent | −20.0% | −19.0% | ▼ −1.0 pp | — | ▪ — | — | | Inflation as single most important problem | 20.0% | 16.0% | ▲ +4.0 pp | — | ▲ +6.0 pp | — |
Sources |
Economic Impact Group, LLC
Economic research for developing communities
Prepared 2026-10-13 12:31 UTC. Green marks an
increase, red a decrease — direction only, not good or bad.
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