One of the Hardest Economies of Their Careers: Costs From Every Direction Squeeze Main Street

Oct. 13, 2026

Between Aug. 13 and Oct. 5, 2026, Small Business for America's Future surveyed 1,171 small business owners in its network to gauge how rising costs are affecting their businesses, their customers and their own households. The findings show owners are living through one of the hardest economies of their careers. Costs are rising on nearly every front while customers spend less. Owners are covering the gap by cutting their own pay and putting off investments, and most say Washington puts large corporations ahead of Main Street.