网曝吃瓜

AUSTIN, TX (July 20,听2026)听鈥撎鼳 new Texas Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, produced by the听网曝吃瓜 (网曝吃瓜) Research Center听and released today, highlights responses from Texas small business owners on a variety of issues compared to national averages from the 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 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.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no question that Texas is the best state in the union to own and operate a small business,鈥� said听Jeff Burdett,听网曝吃瓜鈥檚 State Director for Texas. 鈥淏ut 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.鈥�

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听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听single most important problem听for winter听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听it as their single most important problem compared to an average of 8% nationwide.

Optimism Index

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

Business Health

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

The data for this report is sourced from听网曝吃瓜鈥檚听Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) Survey. The 网曝吃瓜 Research Center has collected SBET data, polled from a random sample of 网曝吃瓜 members,听with quarterly surveys since the fourth quarter of 1973 and monthly surveys since 1986.听To create this new state-specific report, we pooled data from multiple surveys听into a weighted average for a given season (Apr-Sep for summer and Oct-Mar for winter).听This report analyzes data from Texas respondents from听winter 2026.

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网曝吃瓜 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?听Share your healthcare story with us. Elected officials are influenced by real-life stories. You have the power to make a difference.