Texas small business statistics
Texas logged 544,146 business applications in 2025, up 10.8% from 2024 and 78.3% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline. Professional services led both private-sector establishment and job growth since 2019.
Business applications, employment, lending, tax, bankruptcy, and contracting records cover different parts of Texas's business economy.
At a glance
Texas logged 544,146 business applications in 2025, up 10.8% from 2024 and 78.3% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline.
Through May 2026, total applications were up 11.7% from the same months in 2025; high-propensity applications rose 1.0%.
Harris filed 99,688 applications in 2025, the largest county total in Texas. Travis led the high-volume counties after adjusting for population.
Professional services led both private-sector establishment and job growth since 2019.
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Texas businesses reached $4.6B in FY2025 across 6,637 loans, led by accommodation and food services, retail trade, health care, other services, and professional services.
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Texas counties rose from 2,798 to 3,003 in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2026.
New business formation
Texas business applications reached 544,146 in 2025, up 10.8% from 2024. Through May 2026, applications were 11.7% higher than in the same months of 2025.
Why compare with 2019
2019 is the last full year before the pandemic. Texas’ shutdown period and the business churn that followed reshaped EIN filing patterns; high-propensity applications totaled 69,595 through May 2026, up 1.0% from Jan-May 2025. Projected business formations within eight quarters rose 16.5% over the same period.
Census BFS counts applications for employer identification numbers. Applications are early filings; confirmed operating-business counts arrive later.
Where applications are concentrated
Harris is the largest application market by raw volume. Among the high-volume counties shown below, Travis stands out most after adjusting for population.
Applications relative to population
Each rate divides 2025 Census BFS applications by the county’s Census Vintage 2025 resident population estimate. Harris still has the most total filings, while Travis has the highest application volume relative to resident population among these high-volume counties.
Census BFS counts EIN applications. The denominator is 2025 resident population, which adjusts the filing count for scale. Startup conversion requires a business-based denominator.
| County | 2025 applications | Change vs 2024 | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 99,688 | +6.5% | +67.0% |
| Dallas | 61,000 | +8.3% | +56.2% |
| Travis | 48,974 | +15.2% | +133.8% |
| Tarrant | 39,814 | +13.2% | +67.4% |
| Bexar | 29,615 | +7.1% | +64.5% |
| Collin | 28,570 | +8.6% | +79.9% |
| Fort Bend | 20,426 | +5.8% | +78.6% |
| Denton | 19,739 | +7.5% | +78.6% |
| Montgomery | 13,861 | +12.1% | +94.8% |
| Williamson | 13,247 | +10.5% | +106.0% |
| Hidalgo | 9,978 | +10.1% | +81.7% |
| El Paso | 9,568 | +12.5% | +66.4% |
Jobs, establishments, and wages
In 2024, Texas had 829,105 private-sector establishments and 11,910,861 private-sector jobs. The establishment count was 18.8% higher than in 2019, and employment was 11.4% higher.
Professional services led establishment growth.
Professional services added 35,757 establishments from 2019 to 2024. Professional services added 221,847 jobs over the same period.
BLS QCEW counts employer establishments and jobs, along with wages, payroll, and local industry structure.
| Industry | 2024 establishments | Change vs 2019 | 2024 jobs | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional services | 132,852 | +35,757 (+36.8%) | 1,046,565 | +221,847 (+26.9%) |
| Health care and social assistance | 101,227 | +15,289 (+17.8%) | 1,671,855 | +165,891 (+11.0%) |
| Accommodation and food services | 65,336 | +8,650 (+15.3%) | 1,346,478 | +101,995 (+8.2%) |
| Construction | 64,262 | +11,014 (+20.7%) | 857,532 | +83,342 (+10.8%) |
| Other services | 61,653 | +4,149 (+7.2%) | 376,798 | +33,511 (+9.8%) |
| Administrative services | 48,894 | +9,645 (+24.6%) | 893,892 | +72,030 (+8.8%) |
| Finance and insurance | 48,624 | +6,423 (+15.2%) | 650,125 | +101,609 (+18.5%) |
| Wholesale trade | 48,602 | +1,306 (+2.8%) | 655,631 | +46,635 (+7.7%) |
| Real estate and rental | 43,376 | +9,408 (+27.7%) | 256,463 | +27,405 (+12.0%) |
| Information | 15,452 | +4,825 (+45.4%) | 225,306 | +16,715 (+8.0%) |
SBA lending
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Texas businesses totaled $4.6B in FY2025 across 6,637 loans. The SBA files report 77,199 jobs supported for those approvals.
Accommodation and food services drew the most SBA capital.
Accommodation and food services drew $969.4M in FY2025 SBA approvals. Retail trade, Health care and social assistance, Other services, and Professional services received the next-largest approval totals.
SBA fiscal year 2025 ran from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025. The published files were current as of April 28, 2026.
| Sector | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 903 | $969.4M | 16,099 |
| Retail trade | 732 | $576.2M | 5,490 |
| Health care and social assistance | 805 | $566.1M | 12,406 |
| Other services | 763 | $458.6M | 7,413 |
| Professional services | 728 | $368.0M | 6,727 |
| Construction | 702 | $324.7M | 6,706 |
| Manufacturing | 319 | $293.7M | 4,470 |
| Arts and entertainment | 310 | $230.3M | 2,937 |
| Wholesale trade | 227 | $206.3M | 1,969 |
| Administrative services | 351 | $137.3M | 5,098 |
| County | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 1,162 | $776.6M | 13,970 |
| Dallas | 703 | $557.5M | 8,968 |
| Tarrant | 550 | $403.9M | 6,926 |
| Travis | 466 | $301.9M | 5,179 |
| Collin | 446 | $283.7M | 5,697 |
| Bexar | 368 | $227.3M | 4,135 |
| Williamson | 265 | $189.2M | 2,820 |
| Denton | 327 | $186.0M | 2,986 |
| Montgomery | 225 | $156.0M | 2,169 |
| Fort Bend | 239 | $156.0M | 3,024 |
The unincorporated business economy
IRS SOI data show 3,191,771 Texas Schedules C and partnership returns/forms in Tax Year 2023. Those businesses reported $860.5B in gross receipts and $150.6B in the combined income/profit measure.
Sole proprietors account for most returns.
Texas had 2,806,561 nonfarm sole-proprietor Schedules C in Tax Year 2023, with $185.0B in gross receipts and $24.9B in net profit.
Partnerships reported more gross receipts.
Texas partnerships filed 385,210 Forms 1065 in Tax Year 2023 and reported $675.5B in gross receipts.
| County | Returns/forms | Gross receipts | Combined income/profit metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 570,963 | $218.1B | $69.2B |
| Dallas | 328,664 | $154.4B | $24.2B |
| Tarrant | 242,965 | $60.0B | $11.6B |
| Bexar | 196,462 | $41.8B | $5.7B |
| Travis | 170,273 | $53.6B | $4.1B |
| Collin | 141,613 | $38.6B | $4.9B |
| Denton | 113,057 | $20.9B | $2.1B |
| Fort Bend | 112,189 | $19.1B | $1.4B |
| Hidalgo | 87,024 | $15.4B | $856.0M |
| Montgomery | 76,734 | $23.4B | $2.0B |
Business stress signals
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Texas counties rose from 2,798 to 3,003 in the 12 months ending March 31, 2026. Chapter 11 accounted for 1,044 cases.
Why county totals can jump
Dallas had the largest business-bankruptcy count in the latest F-5A table. Related business cases filed in the same venue can create a sudden change in one county’s total.
Definition: U.S. Courts classifies debt as business when the debtor is a corporation or partnership, or when business-related debt predominates.
| County | Business cases, 12 months ending Mar. 31, 2026 | Change vs prior 12 months | Chapter 11 cases | All bankruptcy cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 528 | -47 | 298 | 4,378 |
| Harris | 471 | +22 | 223 | 5,772 |
| Tarrant | 222 | +25 | 70 | 4,081 |
| Collin | 197 | +33 | 45 | 2,079 |
| Bexar | 185 | +7 | 71 | 2,532 |
| Travis | 156 | +27 | 45 | 963 |
| Denton | 148 | +24 | 24 | 1,687 |
| Montgomery | 74 | +11 | 24 | 899 |
| Fort Bend | 74 | +5 | 13 | 1,090 |
| Williamson | 64 | +2 | 10 | 734 |
National credit backdrop
The 2026 Fed Small Business Credit Survey appendix reported that 94% of U.S. employer firms faced a financial challenge in 2025, 38% applied for financing, and 52% of applicants were fully approved.
Federal contract demand
USAspending reports $86.4B in FY2025 federal procurement obligations to recipients located in Texas. USAspending assigns these obligations to the recipient’s state and includes award type codes A, B, C, and D.
| NAICS | Federal procurement category | FY2025 obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 336411 | Aircraft Manufacturing | $35.2B |
| 325412 | Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing | $11.9B |
| 336414 | Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing | $9.6B |
| 336413 | Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing | $4.4B |
| 511210 | Software Publishers | $3.0B |
| 324110 | Petroleum Refineries | $2.9B |
| 621111 | Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) | $2.1B |
| 561210 | Facilities Support Services | $1.5B |
| 541715 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $1.5B |
| 488190 | Other Support Activities for Air Transportation | $1.1B |
How the numbers fit together
Texas's business applications rose 10.8% in 2025. The employer base has expanded since 2019, with establishments up 18.8% and employment up 11.4%.
Sources and definitions
Each dataset updates on its own schedule. Annual figures use the latest complete year, and partial-year comparisons are labeled beside the relevant number.
- Census BFS monthly CSV
Updated June 10, 2026, 14:00 GMT - Census BFS county workbook
Updated June 10, 2026, 14:22 GMT - Census county population estimates
Vintage 2025 county resident population estimates - BLS QCEW annual area files
2019 and 2024 annual API files - SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA package
Updated April 28, 2026, 14:42 GMT - IRS SOI Tax Year 2023 unincorporated tables
Tax Year 2023 county combined, sole proprietor state, and partnership state tables - U.S. Courts F-5A bankruptcy XLSX
12 months ending March 31, 2026 - Fed SBCS Main Street Metrics appendix
Last updated March 23, 2026 - USAspending API
FY2025 procurement obligations
Alex Morgan turns Census, BLS, SBA, IRS, court, Federal Reserve, and USAspending records into state-by-state business comparisons.