The Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index estimates businesses with one to nine employees shed 7,000 jobs in September while average real revenue rose 1.68%. Employment fell in all eight regions, while revenue rose in all eight.
Jobs added across small businesses on Homebase’s platform were 0.1% higher in September than a year earlier, the first positive reading since November 2024. Turnover rose 6.5%, and employees working and hours worked were still below year-ago levels.
Average hourly wages at businesses running Homebase Payroll were 6.8% higher in September than a year earlier, at $16.76, the fastest growth since January. Paychex’s separate small-business measure showed 2.78% growth; the two cover different employers and methods.
Homebase’s measure of Atlanta businesses open, based on whether at least one employee clocked in, fell 3.6% from August and was 13.2% below its January reference level. It is an activity indicator, not a count of closures; September declines are typical.
Homebase says small-business hiring turned positive year over year, Paychex calls small-business employment steady, and QuickBooks estimates microbusinesses shed jobs. The reports cover different employers, months and measures, and should not be averaged.
Gusto's analysis of its small-business customers puts the 2026 median individual health premium at $8,743, up 7% from 2025. The share of firms offering coverage held at about 21%. This is company data, not a BLS series.
Census survey data show 38.4% of firms with 250-plus employees reported using AI in late August, versus about 21% to 26% of firms with fewer than 100. The gap opens mainly at 100 employees, and the data carry important limits.
Corpay Inc., the Atlanta-based fuel-card company, will pay $100 million to resolve a Federal Trade Commission administrative action over unauthorized fees charged to small business customers.
