网曝吃瓜

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Connor, Washington State Director, patrick.connor@nfib.org,
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

OLYMPIA, Wash., July 7, 2026鈥�The 网曝吃瓜 (网曝吃瓜) today released a Washington-specific version of its nationally regarded monthly Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, showing the state below the national average in three important categories: 鈥楨xpecting Economy to Improve,鈥� 鈥楶lans to Increase Employment,鈥� and 鈥楴ow a Good Time to Expand.鈥�

鈥淭his new, semi-annual report condenses six months鈥� worth of SBET findings to come up with more solid datapoints that policymakers in Olympia and in local communities can use to improve the Main Street entrepreneurial climate in our state,鈥� said Patrick Connor, state director for the 网曝吃瓜 (网曝吃瓜), who has been leading the small business fight to repeal the state鈥檚 new income tax.

鈥淭he whole report is worth a read, but for those on a tight timeframe, I suggest jumping to Page 9 on the Top Issues.鈥�

From the Top Issues page:

鈥淥ne key question that adds color and nuance to the Indexes is the owners鈥� single most important problem. This question shows a different profile of difficulties for Washington small businesses vs. those in the rest of the country. Those differences serve as the telltale sign of why Washington is so tough for small business.鈥�

Takeaways from the Washington-specific report:

• Labor cost is dramatically worse in Washington than in the U.S. overall, with more than twice as many respondents ranking it as their top problem (19% vs. 9%).
• The best single metric on the health of the small business environment is 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Small Business Optimism Index. While this metric currently rates conditions in the U.S. overall as decent, slightly above the historical average, it is flashing a bright red warning sign for the state of Washington.
• The latest data shows the Washington Index at 94.5, 4 points below the U.S. level of 98.5 and 3.5 points below the historical national average. The current negative reading is no sudden anomaly. Last period, the gap was even worse, with 93.6 for Washington vs. 98.6 for the U.S.

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Main Street enterprises in Washington also report much worse small business health, with many fewer in 鈥淓xcellent鈥� health and many more in 鈥淔air鈥� and 鈥淧oor鈥� health. 网曝吃瓜 began publishing its Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report quarterly, starting in 1973 and then monthly since 1986. The report tracks economic activity among small businesses in the U.S. The survey measures changes in sales, employment, investment, financing, and economic sentiment. While useful as a country-wide snapshot, no state can be defined by national numbers alone. Therefore, the 网曝吃瓜 Research Center has now launched new, semi-annual 鈥淪tate of the States鈥� SBET reports for some of the largest states in the U.S. In order to create statistically meaningful numbers, responses from six monthly surveys are pooled together, creating summer (April-September) and winter (October-March) datapoints.

These reports help signal the unique challenges and strengths of each state covered. The full state-specific SBET for Washington state can be read at the link above or here. A brief, one-page history of the SBET can be read here. Connor鈥檚 end-of-session report on the Washington State Legislature can be read here.

Keep up with the latest Washington state small business news at听听or on X @网曝吃瓜_WA or on Facebook @网曝吃瓜.WA

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For over 80 years, 网曝吃瓜 has been advocating on behalf of America鈥檚 small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. 网曝吃瓜 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, 网曝吃瓜 has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

网曝吃瓜 Washington
111 鈥� 21st Avenue Southwest
Olympia, WA 98501
360-786-8675
网曝吃瓜.com
Twitter: @网曝吃瓜_WA
Facebook: @网曝吃瓜.WA

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