A new Ohio Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, produced by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center and released today, highlights responses from Ohio small business owners on a variety of issues compared to national averages from the NFIB’s monthly SBET surveys throughout the year.

“The Small Business Economic Trends survey has provided essential information about the small business economy for decades,” said Holly Wade, Executive Director of NFIB’s Research Center. “While this data is a useful tool for evaluating the economy on a national scale, no state can be defined by national numbers alone. This state-specific report allows us to better understand business conditions and the unique challenges and strengths owners’ face in Ohio.”

The Small Business Optimism Index for Ohio small businesses in summer (April-Sept.) 2025 was 99.4, 1.5 points higher than the national average. Of the 10 components that make up the Index, three categories meaningfully outperformed in Ohio to create its positive gap: expectations for real sales, plans to increase employment, and current job openings. On the other hand, Ohio is experiencing some pessimism about the economy, with a substantially smaller percentage expecting general economic improvement over the next six months than in the rest of the country.

“Ohio’s small businesses are the backbone of the state’s economy, and this survey highlights the importance of our small business community,” said Jared Weiser, NFIB Ohio State Director. “Our members report higher optimism than the national average due to state leaders prioritizing tax relief and regulatory reform to improve the business climate. The tight labor market has been a consistent concern for small employers, and we look forward to continuing to work with Governor DeWine and members of the Legislature on solutions to strengthen Ohio’s small business workforce.”

Business Health

When asked about the health of their business, Ohio small businesses had a better report compared to most of the U.S. In Ohio, 14% of owners reported the health of their business as excellent (3 points above the national average of 11%), 57% reported it as good (3 points about the national average of 54%), 26% reported it as fair (3 points below the national average of 29%), and 3% reported it as poor (2 points below the national average of 5%).

Single Most Important Problem

Twenty-four percent of Ohio small business owners ranked labor quality as their single most important problem, making it the top problem in the state and ranking 5 points above the national average of 19%.

One noticeable change for Ohio is the drop in inflation as the single most important problem. In the summer of 2024, Ohio owners ranked inflation as the top problem at 27%. The latest data shows that only 14% of Ohio small business owners now rank inflation as their single most important problem.

Uncertainty Index

Uncertainty in Ohio is high, with its levels being in line with the U.S. overall. This metric is constructed from the percent of respondents reporting “don’t know” or “uncertain” when asked a variety of questions about their confidence and optimism levels over the course of the year.

While NFIB’s Optimism Index is also affected by responses that show positive changes in economic conditions, the overall level of uncertainty still impacts the ability of small businesses to plan and operate. The national Uncertainty Index reached 100 in August 2025 (its fourth highest reading in 51 years), and decreased to 88 in September 2025, its lowest level of the year. Comparatively, the national Uncertainty Index typically ranged below 90 in previous years.

The data for this report is sourced from NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) Survey. The NFIB Research Center has collected SBET data, polled from a random sample of NFIB members, with quarterly surveys since the fourth quarter of 1973 and monthly surveys since 1986. To create this new state-specific report, NFIB pooled data from multiple surveys into a weighted average for a given season (Apr-Sep for summer and Oct-Mar for winter). This report analyzes data from Ohio respondents from throughout 2025.