December Regional Small Business Trends

On a regional basis, the average small business size dropped in the Midwest, South and West in 2005.

The Northeast was the hands-down regional success story for 2005. Hiring there was up 10.4% year-to-date. The Midwest has had the steepest regional decline in 2005 — down 4.0%.

On the 2005 salary front, average small business paychecks rose only in the Midwest. Salaries declined in the Northeast, South and West.

Regional Data
Below is the monthly SurePayroll Scorecard data for each Region for December:

The SurePayroll Hiring Index and the SurePayroll Pay Index are generated as part of SurePayroll’s Small Business Scorecard, an economic indicator that tracks the health of the U.S. small business economy. The Small Business Scorecard is generated from actual payroll data — paychecks issued to contractors and employees — for tens of thousands of small businesses nationwide.

Questions regarding the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard can be directed to Michael Alter. Michael can be reached at malter@surepayroll.com or by phone at 847.676.8420 ext. 7229.