Connecticut small business statistics
Connecticut produced 49,834 business applications in 2025, up 6.6% from 2024 and 51.4% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline. The page shows the latest employer-likely application signal, county concentration after adjusting for population, private-sector labor growth, SBA lending, unincorporated receipts, bankruptcy filings, and federal contract demand.
Public source files covering Connecticut business formation, labor, lending, proprietor income, bankruptcy, and federal contracting.
What the data shows
The topline combines new filing volume, employer-likely application quality, county concentration, labor-market structure, lending, and business stress signals.
Connecticut logged 49,834 business applications in 2025, up 6.6% from 2024 and 51.4% from the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline.
Through May 2026, total applications were up 12.9% from the same months in 2025; high-propensity applications were up 1.5%.
Capitol Planning Region filed 12,797 applications in 2025, the largest county total in Connecticut. Western Connecticut Planning Region led the high-volume counties after adjusting for population.
Health care and social assistance led both private-sector establishment and job growth since 2019.
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Connecticut businesses reached $479.6M in FY2025 across 1,091 loans, led by accommodation and food services, construction, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and wholesale trade.
Business bankruptcy cases tied to Connecticut counties fell from 182 to 105 in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2026.
New business formation
Connecticut business applications reached 49,834 in 2025, up 6.6% from 2024. Through May 2026, applications were running up 12.9% from the same months in 2025.
The long comparison starts before the pandemic reset.
The 2019 comparison uses the last full pre-pandemic year. The shutdown period and the business churn that followed reshaped EIN filing patterns; high-propensity applications totaled 6,761 through May 2026, up 1.5% from Jan-May 2025. Projected business formations within eight quarters rose 15.8% over the same period.
Metric note: Census BFS counts applications for employer identification numbers. Applications are early filings; confirmed operating-business counts arrive later.
Where applications are concentrated
Capitol Planning Region is the largest application market by raw volume. Among the high-volume counties shown below, Western Connecticut Planning Region stands out most after adjusting for population.
Population-adjusted filing volume changes the county read.
The chart uses 2025 Census BFS applications divided by Census Vintage 2025 resident population estimates. Capitol Planning Region still has the most total filings in the table below, while Western Connecticut Planning Region has the highest application volume relative to resident population among these high-volume counties.
Metric note: Census BFS counts EIN applications. The denominator is 2025 resident population, not existing businesses, so this is a scale adjustment rather than a startup conversion rate.
| County | 2025 applications | Change vs 2024 | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Planning Region | 12,797 | +6.4% | +nan% |
| Western Connecticut Planning Region | 11,937 | +4.6% | +nan% |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region | 7,415 | +6.8% | +nan% |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | 5,655 | +8.7% | +nan% |
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | 5,358 | +7.7% | +nan% |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | 2,676 | +11.3% | +nan% |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | 1,968 | +7.6% | +nan% |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region | 1,237 | +5.9% | +nan% |
Jobs, establishments, and wages
In 2024, Connecticut had 145,501 private-sector establishments and 1,459,801 private-sector jobs in the QCEW annual file. Establishments changed 21.6% from 2019 to 2024; jobs changed 1.0%.
Health care and social assistance is the establishment-growth story.
Health care and social assistance added 10,297 establishments from 2019 to 2024. Health care and social assistance added 20,390 jobs over the same period.
QCEW tracks employer establishments. It is the recurring source here for jobs, wages, payroll, and local industry structure.
| Industry | 2024 establishments | Change vs 2019 | 2024 jobs | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional services | 22,494 | +8,075 (+56.0%) | 101,440 | +5,559 (+5.8%) |
| Health care and social assistance | 21,748 | +10,297 (+89.9%) | 291,475 | +20,390 (+7.5%) |
| Other services | 13,688 | -4,458 (-24.6%) | 56,826 | -9,671 (-14.5%) |
| Wholesale trade | 10,542 | +503 (+5.0%) | 60,967 | +1,248 (+2.1%) |
| Administrative services | 10,532 | +2,546 (+31.9%) | 88,592 | -1,337 (-1.5%) |
| Construction | 9,742 | +246 (+2.6%) | 63,272 | +3,541 (+5.9%) |
| Accommodation and food services | 9,601 | +650 (+7.3%) | 125,938 | -3,058 (-2.4%) |
| Finance and insurance | 8,945 | +1,660 (+22.8%) | 96,463 | -5,293 (-5.2%) |
| Information | 5,115 | +2,564 (+100.5%) | 0 | -31,469 (-100.0%) |
| Real estate and rental | 4,186 | +443 (+11.8%) | 19,550 | -563 (-2.8%) |
SBA lending
SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals to Connecticut businesses totaled $479.6M in FY2025 across 1,091 loans. The SBA files report 8,767 jobs supported for those approvals.
Accommodation and food services drew the most SBA capital.
Accommodation and food services drew $73.3M in FY2025 SBA approvals. construction, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and wholesale trade also ranked among the top capital destinations.
SBA fiscal year 2025 ran from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025. The source package was current as of April 28, 2026.
| Sector | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 112 | $73.3M | 1,399 |
| Construction | 180 | $56.8M | 1,080 |
| Manufacturing | 79 | $53.9M | 673 |
| Health care and social assistance | 107 | $53.3M | 1,368 |
| Wholesale trade | 47 | $40.4M | 663 |
| Retail trade | 147 | $38.9M | 770 |
| Other services | 112 | $38.9M | 738 |
| Professional services | 96 | $35.7M | 479 |
| Administrative services | 65 | $20.8M | 606 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 40 | $17.6M | 396 |
| County | FY2025 loans | FY2025 approvals | SBA jobs supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol | 275 | $133.6M | 2,589 |
| Western Ct | 218 | $110.0M | 1,513 |
| South Central Ct | 152 | $73.1M | 1,269 |
| Naugatuck Vly | 107 | $44.2M | 566 |
| Lower Ct River Vly | 62 | $30.6M | 430 |
| Greater Bridgeport | 100 | $22.2M | 994 |
| Southeastern Ct | 54 | $19.0M | 390 |
| Northeastern Ct | 24 | $9.6M | 194 |
| Hartford | 19 | $9.4M | 277 |
| Fairfield | 34 | $8.6M | 251 |
The unincorporated business economy
IRS SOI data show 357,094 Connecticut Schedules C and partnership returns/forms in Tax Year 2023. Those businesses reported $97.5B in gross receipts and $19.0B in the combined income/profit measure.
Sole proprietors account for most returns.
Connecticut had 298,970 nonfarm sole-proprietor Schedules C in Tax Year 2023, with $28.9B in gross receipts and $6.8B in net profit.
Partnerships reported more gross receipts.
Connecticut partnerships filed 58,124 Forms 1065 in Tax Year 2023 and reported $68.6B in gross receipts.
| County | Returns/forms | Gross receipts | Combined income/profit metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 127,022 | $51.3B | $12.6B |
| New Haven | 78,566 | $14.8B | $2.1B |
| Hartford | 75,918 | $18.2B | $2.5B |
| New London | 20,725 | $3.6B | $436.6M |
| Litchfield | 19,738 | $3.8B | $557.2M |
| Middlesex | 16,134 | $3.2B | $434.7M |
| Tolland | 10,954 | $1.4B | $246.3M |
| Windham | 8,037 | $1.1B | $157.0M |
Business stress signals
U.S. Courts F-5A shows 105 business bankruptcy cases tied to Connecticut counties in the 12 months ending March 31, 2026, fell from 182 in the prior 12-month period. Chapter 11 cases totaled 17.
County bankruptcy rows can move sharply.
Fairfield had the largest business-bankruptcy count in the latest F-5A table. County bankruptcy rows can move when related business cases are filed in the same venue, so this table works best as a lead for follow-up reporting.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 33 | -39 | 11 | 801 |
| Hartford | 30 | -3 | 3 | 967 |
| New Haven | 22 | -28 | 1 | 1,082 |
| New London | 8 | +3 | 2 | 228 |
| Windham | 7 | +2 | 0 | 121 |
| Litchfield | 2 | -2 | 0 | 188 |
| Middlesex | 2 | -4 | 0 | 161 |
| Tolland | 1 | -6 | 0 | 116 |
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 $35.3B in FY2025 federal procurement obligations to recipients located in Connecticut. The filter covers procurement awards to CT recipients across award type codes A, B, C, and D.
| NAICS | Federal procurement category | FY2025 obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 336611 | Ship Building and Repairing | $15.0B |
| 541330 | Engineering Services | $6.6B |
| 336412 | Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing | $5.4B |
| 336411 | Aircraft Manufacturing | $4.1B |
| 336413 | Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing | $2.0B |
| 488190 | Other Support Activities for Air Transportation | $562.2M |
| 541715 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $265.0M |
| 541519 | Other Computer Related Services | $160.6M |
| 236220 | Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | $119.5M |
| 314999 | All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills | $85.2M |
Sources and methodology
The charts and figures on this page come from public source files or APIs. Annual sources use the most recent complete year available; partial-year figures are labeled in the text.
- 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 edits public business datasets for SMB Statistics, including Census, BLS, SBA, IRS, U.S. Courts, Fed SBCS, and USAspending files.