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September 11, 2024 Last Edit: June 5, 2025
Main Street owners grapple with uncertainty as sales expectations decrease
NFIB North Dakota's Don Larson Reacts to Small Business Optimism Dip
- The frequency of reports of positive profit trends was a net negative 37% (seasonally adjusted), seven points worse than in July and the lowest since March 2010.
- Twenty-four percent of owners reported inflation as their single most important problem in operating their business, down one point from July.
- The net percent of owners expecting higher real sales volumes fell nine points in August to a net negative 18% (seasonally adjusted). Real sales volume expectations were the largest contributor to the decline in the Optimism Index along with earning trends and expected business conditions.
- A seasonally adjusted net 20% plan to raise compensation in the next three months, up two points from July.
- The net percent of owners raising average selling prices fell two points from July to a net 20% seasonally adjusted.
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