• Small Business Frequently Asked Questions (HTML file) - Provides answers to basic questions about small business. (PDF file) - (Text file)

• Academic Frequently Asked Questions (HTML file) - Encourages faculty, students, and researchers to study small business. (PDF file) - (Text file)
• "Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century" Conference Proceedings, Part 1, Part II, Part III (PDF file) - Includes proceedings, videos, biographies of speakers, and powerpoint presentations from the conference.

• Focus Group Fact Sheet (PDF file) - Advocacy acts to improve both the effectiveness and usefulness of the federal government's small business research through regional sessions.

• Redefining Business Success: Distinguishing Between Closure and Failure (PDF file) - This paper uses government data sources to analyze business survival and the success status of closed businesses. It was published in the August 2003 edition of Small Business Economics, a journal from Kluwer Online, and appears here with their permission.

• Research Publications 2003, 2002 – Advocacy produced economic reports on a variety of topics of importance to U.S. small businesses.

• The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President 2002-2003, (Bulletin) (historical versions 2001, 1999-2000, 1998 ,1997, 1996) (PDF files) - The annual reference source since 1982 that business owners, policymakers, and researchers have turned to when they need information on small business' performance in the economy. To obtain a printed copy, see the U.S. Government Online Bookstore. (Text synopsis version)

• Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business, 1st Quarter, 2nd Quarter (PDF file) - Provides recent monthly and quarterly data from a wide variety of sources relevant to small businesses. Economic activity of small firms is examined at the national level for 2004.

• Small Business Economic Indicators for 2003, (Bulletin), (historical versions 1995 - 2002), (PDF files) - Contains current data on small business activity (new firms, employment, income and terminations) by state, and serves as a quick reference guide. Tables listing indicators for about the last ten years by state are included. Download tables (Microsoft Excel File) for the most recent version.

• Advocacy's Working Papers - The working papers published by Office of Advocacy Economic Research staff are all presented here with title, author and release date.The papers are available in PDF format.

• Statistics by business size from the U.S. Census Bureau (leaving SBA) - Serves as a quick reference guide to Census small business figures (see also firm size data).

• The New American Evolution, June, 1998 - Illustrates the role and impact of small firms on the U.S. economy.

• Minorities in Business - Statistical information about minority-owned businesses such as the number of businesses, types of businesses, business turnover, income, industry, procurement, and financing. Actual U.S. Census Bureau 1997 figures are now available from Census. For information about SBA efforts, see the Office of Minority Enterprise Development (leaving Advocacy).

• Women in Business - Statistical information about women-owned businesses such as the number of businesses, types of businesses, procurement, and financing. See also the U.S. Census Bureau for more detailed data and the Online Women's Business Center (leaving Advocacy) co-sponsored by the SBA for more information.

• Characteristics of Small Business Owners and Employees (PDF file) - Analyzes the demographic characteristics of employees and owners of small businesses. Employee and self-employment data covers the period 1992 to 1996 while the owner data covers 1992. Download Tables (Self-Extracting Microsoft Excel File)

• The Characteristics of Small-Business Employees (leaving SBA) - Article written in the Office of Advocacy and published in the April 2000, Monthly Labor Review showing how the small-business workforce differs from the large-business workforce.

• Historical SBA sponsored research - Women - Minorities (abstracts listed from 1978 to mid 1994)

• Small Business and Micro-Business-Lending Study 2002 (historical versions 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998,(PDF files) 1997, 1996 (HTML Files) - This report uses Call Report and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) data to identify the micro-business-friendly with significant lending activity in loans under $100,000. To enable borrowers and depositors to make better decisions about banking services in their states, the information is categorized per state.

• Banking Studies (Research Bulletin) - Small Business Lending in the United States for 1994 through 2002 identifies the nation's top small business commercial bank lenders. The directory rates banks in each state on their performance in small business lending.

• Bank Mergers and Aquisitions - A conference report on the impact of bank mergers and acquisitions on small business lending.

• SBA sponsored research (contracts awarded 1990 to current)

• Trends in Venture Capital Funding in the 1990s - Identifies and summaries the sources of venture capital in the U.S., by state and industry with impact on company growth.

• Historical SBA sponsored research (abstracts listed from 1978 to mid 1994)

• Firm size data by location and industry - Includes the number of employer firms, number of establishments, employment, annual payroll, and receipts. The data are presented by location (U.S., state, and MSA) and industry by size of firm.

• Small Business Growth by Major Industry 1988-1995 (PDF File) - Analyzes Bureau of the Census data to show the growth and the changing importance of small business by major industry. Download Tables (Self-Extracting Microsoft Excel File)

• Self-Employment and Computer Usage (Research Bulletin)(PDF file) - Includes available data and information on the demographics and characteristics of self-employed with computer ownership.

• Small Business Expansions in Electronic Commerce (PDF file) - Summarizes the available studies on how small firms are helping shape e-commerce.

• E-commerce: Small Businesses Venture Online (PDF file) - Summarizes the available studies on e-commerce related to small business.

• The Third Millennium (PDF file) - Report on themes gathered from focus groups.

• Innovation in Small Firms (PDF file) - Contains information on small and large firm innovation and employment growth based on firm size, level of technology, and research and development.
  
  

• Historical SBA sponsored research (abstracts listed from 1978 to mid 1994)

• Federal Procurement from Small Firms (PDF file), U.S. Summary Tables (PDF file), State Tables (state index up front) (PDF file) - Rankings of Federal Procurement Centers on their Procurement from Small Firms in FY 1998. Download data (self-extracting text file)

• SBA sponsored research (contracts awarded 1990 to current)

• Historical SBA sponsored research (abstracts listed from 1978 to mid 1994)

• Advancing Rural America (PDF file) - Advocacy efforts to promote and support rural small business. (HTML file)

• State Small Business Economic Profiles - Provides statistics on the number and characteristics of small businesses in each state. For more data over time, see the Small Business Economic Indicators above.

• State and City (MSA) Firm Size Data - Includes the number of employer firms, number of establishments, employment, annual payroll, and receipts.

• Rural and Urban Areas by Firm Size, 1990-1995 (PDF file) - A report on the changing share of small employer firms with regard to establishments and employment in rural and urban areas by major industry and state.

• Banking Studies (Research Bulletin) - Small Business Lending in the United for 1994 through 2001 identifies the nation's top small business lending. Includes some farm and rural lending studies.

• Small Business Finance in Rural and Urban Regions (PDF file) - A report prepared for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's 1998 "Equity for Rural America: From Wall Street to Main Street" conference "Policy Options for Rural Equity Capital Markets" session.

The Adobe Acrobat Reader may be obtained from the Adobe Home Page. Be sure to read the Adobe Electronic End User License Agreement and any other instructions prior to installing the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system. Adobe also offers Accessibility Tools for PDF Documents. Advocacy has created a PDF conversion page for PDF files listed at this site.

The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent
entity, so these views do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or the Administration.

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