August 2009 Regional Small Business Trends

We track hiring and salary trends by region, examining trend data for the Midwest, Northeast, South and West.

Last month, many small businesses were hiring across the country. In fact, small business hiring was up in August 2009 in every region except the West. Unfortunately, small business salaries were heading the other direction last month, declining in all four regions.

Monthly hiring gains for the Midwest, Northeast, South and West were 0.5 percent, 0.4 percent, 0.3 percent and -0.3 percent, respectively.

In the Midwest, Northeast, South and West, salary changes were -1.0 percent, -0.9 percent, -0.6 percent and -0.4 percent, respectively.

With respect to year-to-date performance, hiring changes for the Midwest, Northeast, South and West are 3.9 percent, 4.8 percent, 3.2 percent and -1.8 percent, respectively. Year-to-date salary changes are -5.2 percent, -7.5 percent, -5.1 percent and -1.2 percent, respectively.

Regional Data
Below is the monthly SurePayroll Scorecard data for each region for August.

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.