Small Business Optimism Index higher in South Atlantic region
Small business owners in the South Atlantic region of the U.S. feel slightly more optimistic than those in the country as a whole, according to a recent study.
NFIB’s monthly Small Business Optimism Index for September stood at 96.2. But in the South Atlantic region—Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia—the figure was 96.6.
Small business owners in the Pacific region—Washington, Oregon and California—were most optimistic, at 100.8, while the Plaines region—Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri—had the lowest rating at 94.2.
Overall, NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg was not impressed with the nationwide numbers.
“Small business optimism continues to be stagnant, which is consistent with the expected economic growth of about 2.5 percent,” he said. “The percent of owners citing the difficulty of finding qualified workers as their Most Important Business Problem increased and is now third on the list behind taxes and regulations. This is the highest reading since 2007 and suggests that employers will continue to face wage pressure in order to attract and keep good employees.”
