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

BOISE, Idaho, June 10, 2025—Release today of NFIB’s monthly Small Business Optimism Index, showing an improvement at 98.8, slightly above the 51-year average of 98, drew a suggestion for Congress by the Idaho state director for NFIB.

“Our latest Index found taxes to be the top problem for small business owners, overtaking regular appearances by inflation and labor quality,” said Suzanne Budge, state director for NFIB in Idaho. “That being the case, our Legislature had commendable foresight in coming up with more than $400 million in tax relief this year. Now, Congress needs to prevent the Small Business Deduction from expiring at the end of the year, and our nation’s Main Street economies will have many more days of sunlight than hidden behind dark clouds.”

NFIB’s 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. 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

“Although optimism recovered slightly in May, uncertainty is still high among small business owners. While the economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved, owners reported more positive expectations on business conditions and sales growth.”

Highlights from Today’s Optimism Index

• A net 1% (seasonally adjusted) of owners viewed current inventory stocks as “too low” in May, up 7 points from April and the highest reading since August 2022. This was the largest monthly increase in the survey’s history.
• The net percent of owners expecting better business conditions rose 10 points from April to a net 25% (seasonally adjusted).
• The net percent of owners expecting higher real sales volumes rose 11 points from April to a net 10% (seasonally adjusted). This component contributed the most to the Optimism Index’s improvement.
• The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as the single most important problem for business fell three points from April to 16%.

Keep up with the latest Idaho small-business news at www.nfib.com 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
X: @NFIB_ID