FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Suzanne Budge, Idaho State Director, sbs@sbsidaho.com
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

BOISE, Idaho, March 11, 2025—Today’s release of the latest Small Business Optimism Index by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) had mixed good and cautionary news.

The good news is it showed a fourth consecutive month above the Index’s 51-year average of 98, albeit 4.4 points below its most recent peak of 105.1 in December. The troubling news is the Uncertainty Index derived from it rose four points to 104 – the second highest recorded reading.

“There are some policy initiatives, both state and federal, that would help reduce the uncertainty small business owners are feeling toward the economy,” said Suzanne Budge, state director for NFIB in Idaho. “One is for our Legislature to advance Gov. Brad Little’s call for further tax relief and to resist costly ideas on the minimum wage and a local option tax. Costly ideas that have been rejected before. Federally, Congress should act swiftly in making the 20% Small Business Deduction permanent and not let it expire at the end of this year.”

NFIB’s monthly Small Business Optimism Index is the gold standard measurement of America’s small business economy. Used by the Federal Reserve, Congressional leaders, administration officials, and state legislatures across the nation, it’s regarded as the bellwether on the health and welfare of the Main Street enterprises that employ half of all workers, generate more net new jobs than large corporations, and gave most of us the first start in our working life. The Optimism Index (aka Small Business Economic Trends report) is a national snapshot of NFIB-member, small-business owners not broken down by state. The typical NFIB member employs between one and nine people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year.

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“Uncertainty is high and rising on Main Street and for many reasons. Those small business owners expecting better business conditions in the next six months dropped and the percent viewing the current period as a good time to expand fell, but remains well above where it was in the fall. Inflation remains a major problem, ranked second behind the top problem, labor quality.”

Highlights from the Latest Optimism Index

• The net percent of owners expecting the economy to improve fell ten points from January to a net 37% (seasonally adjusted).
• Twelve percent (seasonally adjusted) of owners reported that it is a good time to expand their business, down five points from January. This is the largest monthly decrease since April 2020.
• Sixteen percent of owners reported that inflation was their single most important problem in operating their business, down two points from January and now just below labor quality as the top issue. The last time it was this low was in October 2021.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 29% plan price hikes in the next three months, up three points from January and the highest reading in 11 months.

Keep up with the latest Idaho small-business news at www.nfib.com/idaho or by following NFIB on X @NFIB_ID.

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For more than 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Idaho
802 W. Bannock Ste. 301
Boise, ID 83702
208-345-6632
NFIB.com/ID
X: @NFIB_ID