Washington small business statistics
Washington logged 142,196 business applications in 2025, up 28.6% from 2024 and 102.0% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline. Professional services added the most private-sector establishments since 2019. Management of companies added the most private-sector jobs.
Business applications, employment, lending, tax, bankruptcy, and contracting records cover different parts of Washington's business economy.
At a glance
Washington logged 142,196 business applications in 2025, up 28.6% from 2024 and 102.0% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline.
Through May 2026, total applications were down 32.3% from the same months in 2025; high-propensity applications were up 1.2%.
King filed 46,989 applications in 2025, the largest county total in Washington. Spokane led the high-volume counties after adjusting for population.
Professional services added the most private-sector establishments since 2019. Management of companies added the most private-sector jobs.
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Washington businesses reached $1.3B in FY2025 across 2,333 loans, led by retail trade, accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, construction, and professional services.
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Washington counties rose from 350 to 441 in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2026.
New business formation
Washington business applications reached 142,196 in 2025, up 28.6% from 2024. Through May 2026, applications were 32.3% lower than in the same months of 2025.
Why compare with 2019
2019 is the last full year before the pandemic. The shutdown period and the business churn that followed changed EIN filing patterns. High-propensity applications totaled 15,158 through May 2026, up 1.2% from Jan-May 2025. Projected business formations within eight quarters rose 5.4% 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
King is the largest application market by raw volume. Among the high-volume counties shown below, Spokane 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. King still has the most total filings, while Spokane 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 46,989 | +25.3% | +74.4% |
| Pierce | 17,007 | +38.8% | +126.9% |
| Snohomish | 14,411 | +30.3% | +114.7% |
| Spokane | 14,175 | +28.0% | +206.2% |
| Clark | 9,863 | +8.1% | +91.7% |
| Thurston | 4,614 | +36.3% | +83.0% |
| Kitsap | 4,426 | +46.6% | +124.8% |
| Whatcom | 3,825 | +23.9% | +85.5% |
| Benton | 3,206 | +34.1% | +107.2% |
| Yakima | 3,126 | +33.8% | +123.0% |
| Skagit | 1,925 | +26.2% | +100.5% |
| Cowlitz | 1,582 | +30.9% | +116.4% |
Jobs, establishments, and wages
In 2024, Washington had 232,529 private-sector establishments and 3,003,097 private-sector jobs. The establishment count was 6.5% lower than in 2019, and employment was 4.6% higher.
Professional services led establishment growth.
Professional services added 11,809 establishments from 2019 to 2024. Management of companies added 56,153 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 | 39,315 | +11,809 (+42.9%) | 253,386 | +44,792 (+21.5%) |
| Construction | 27,578 | +1,106 (+4.2%) | 211,938 | +6,221 (+3.0%) |
| Health care and social assistance | 23,809 | -36,694 (-60.6%) | 471,157 | +38,148 (+8.8%) |
| Other services | 20,550 | +635 (+3.2%) | 103,788 | +1,156 (+1.1%) |
| Accommodation and food services | 18,340 | +767 (+4.4%) | 283,522 | -3,922 (-1.4%) |
| Administrative services | 14,570 | +1,563 (+12.0%) | 178,041 | +6,299 (+3.7%) |
| Wholesale trade | 13,073 | -558 (-4.1%) | 135,371 | +1,458 (+1.1%) |
| Finance and insurance | 10,639 | +1,498 (+16.4%) | 94,547 | -254 (-0.3%) |
| Information | 8,497 | +3,490 (+69.7%) | 162,414 | +18,531 (+12.9%) |
| Real estate and rental | 8,478 | -5 (-0.1%) | 57,713 | +2,337 (+4.2%) |
SBA lending
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Washington businesses totaled $1.3B in FY2025 across 2,333 loans. The SBA files report 18,653 jobs supported for those approvals.
Retail trade drew the most SBA capital.
Retail trade drew $300.7M in FY2025 SBA approvals. Accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, construction, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 327 | $300.7M | 2,330 |
| Accommodation and food services | 321 | $216.1M | 3,936 |
| Health care and social assistance | 240 | $148.4M | 2,307 |
| Construction | 363 | $110.9M | 2,336 |
| Professional services | 204 | $91.5M | 1,341 |
| Other services | 204 | $82.3M | 1,289 |
| Manufacturing | 126 | $73.0M | 1,055 |
| Arts and entertainment | 96 | $56.5M | 709 |
| Wholesale trade | 64 | $36.5M | 417 |
| Administrative services | 118 | $35.9M | 1,297 |
| County | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 770 | $403.6M | 6,837 |
| Snohomish | 217 | $159.4M | 1,620 |
| Pierce | 289 | $138.7M | 2,087 |
| Clark | 177 | $83.2M | 1,386 |
| Spokane | 168 | $79.1M | 1,704 |
| Thurston | 85 | $67.8M | 850 |
| Whatcom | 68 | $36.4M | 485 |
| Skagit | 42 | $30.5M | 435 |
| Kitsap | 68 | $30.3M | 383 |
| Yakima | 59 | $29.5M | 407 |
The unincorporated business economy
IRS SOI data show 593,139 Washington Schedules C and partnership returns/forms in Tax Year 2023. Those businesses reported $109.2B in gross receipts and $10.3B in the combined income/profit measure.
Sole proprietors account for most returns.
Washington had 519,584 nonfarm sole-proprietor Schedules C in Tax Year 2023, with $34.9B in gross receipts and $8.8B in net profit.
Partnerships reported more gross receipts.
Washington partnerships filed 73,555 Forms 1065 in Tax Year 2023 and reported $74.2B in gross receipts.
| County | Returns/forms | Gross receipts | Combined income/profit metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 214,672 | $56.2B | $2.8B |
| Snohomish | 61,936 | $8.2B | $1.4B |
| Pierce | 59,651 | $7.3B | $1.3B |
| Clark | 42,918 | $7.1B | $607.1M |
| Spokane | 38,843 | $4.2B | $730.7M |
| Whatcom | 19,761 | $2.9B | $481.0M |
| Thurston | 19,680 | $2.2B | $320.7M |
| Kitsap | 18,422 | $1.8B | $439.6M |
| Benton | 12,477 | $3.5B | $298.1M |
| Yakima | 12,213 | $2.1B | $227.4M |
Business stress signals
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Washington counties rose from 350 to 441 in the 12 months ending March 31, 2026. Chapter 11 accounted for 168 cases.
Why county totals can jump
King 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | 182 | +73 | 87 | 1,955 |
| Snohomish | 43 | -14 | 25 | 1,037 |
| Pierce | 42 | +3 | 10 | 1,586 |
| Spokane | 26 | -2 | 6 | 752 |
| Clark | 22 | +7 | 3 | 891 |
| Franklin | 16 | +8 | 0 | 132 |
| Benton | 13 | +3 | 1 | 291 |
| Thurston | 12 | +2 | 2 | 465 |
| Kitsap | 11 | -3 | 4 | 327 |
| Yakima | 9 | +4 | 3 | 546 |
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 $13.1B in FY2025 federal procurement obligations to recipients located in Washington. 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 | $4.3B |
| 541710 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences | $1.6B |
| 237990 | Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | $1.2B |
| 541715 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $976.2M |
| 236220 | Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | $584.7M |
| 518210 | Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | $466.7M |
| 541512 | Computer Systems Design Services | $359.3M |
| 336611 | Ship Building and Repairing | $249.8M |
| 561210 | Facilities Support Services | $196.3M |
| 541990 | All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $195.4M |
How the numbers fit together
Washington's business applications rose 28.6% in 2025. Since 2019, private establishments have fallen 6.5% while private-sector employment has grown 4.6%, concentrating more jobs in a smaller employer base.
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.