AUSTIN, TX (July 20, 2026) – A new Texas Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, produced by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center and released today, highlights responses from Texas small business owners on a variety of issues compared to national averages from the NFIB’s monthly SBET surveys throughout the year. In the latest data, the cost or availability of insurance was five points worse in Texas than the national average.

“There’s no question that Texas is the best state in the union to own and operate a small business,” said Jeff Burdett, NFIB’s State Director for Texas. “But that is not without challenges. In this survey, the cost or availability of insurance was a bigger challenge for Texas small business owners than the rest of the country. This is a crisis for Main Street. We will continue advocating for solutions that lower health costs and expand affordable coverage options.”

CLICK HERE to view the survey. Highlights are below:

Single Most Important Problem

Compared to the U.S. overall, Texas small businesses have one problem that stands out as the most challenging problem: insurance. Nearly fifteen (14.8) percent of owners in Texas reported that the cost or availability of insurance as their single most important problem for winter 2026, compared to the national average of 9.9%.

Conversely, Texas outperforms the rest of the country when it comes to government regulation, with an average of 5% of Texas small businesses reporting it as their single most important problem compared to an average of 8% nationwide.

Optimism Index

The Small Business Optimism Index for Texas small businesses in winter (Oct. 2025-Mar. 2026) was 101.7, which was 2.2 points ahead of the national average. Of the 10 components that make up the Index, small businesses in Texas reported higher sales expectations, as well as positive economic expectations and the two inventory categories, compared to NFIB’s overall U.S. data.

Business Health

When asked to evaluate the overall health of their business, Texas small business owners reported that they are performing a bit worse than the rest of the country. In Texas, 12% of owners rated the health of their business as excellent (unchanged from the national average), 49% rated it as good (four points below the national average of 53%), 35% rated it fair (five points up from the national average of 30%), and 4% rated it poor (unchanged from the national average).

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, we 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 Texas respondents from winter 2026.

NFIB is advocating for policy solutions in Austin and in Washington, D.C. that empower small business owners with more choice and control over their healthcare decisions, and lower health costs while expanding affordable coverage options.

What can you do to help? Share your healthcare story with us. Elected officials are influenced by real-life stories. You have the power to make a difference.