500,994
New York private-sector firms had fewer than 100 employees in 2024.
These firms represented 94.4% of all private-sector firms in the state.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2024 annualized data, p. 3.
Research & reference
New York Small Business Statistics: 2024 Snapshot
A clear, citable view of the small businesses that power New York’s economy, using the latest statewide annual report available.
Last updated October 5, 2026. Data year: 2024.
The short version
Small firms are the everyday shape of New York business.
New York’s small-business landscape is dominated by firms with fewer than 100 employees, and micro-businesses with fewer than 25 employees account for most private-sector firms. The figures below are drawn from Empire State Development’s annual report and keep the report’s distinct size definitions visible, so each number can be quoted accurately.
Use this page as a starting point for reporting, research, planning, or local business context. For bookkeeping support that turns business activity into useful financial information, explore small business bookkeeping services.
At a glance
Eight citable statistics
Each figure links to a stable page section and cites the specific report and data year behind it.
3.07 million
people worked for New York private-sector firms with fewer than 100 employees in 2024.
That was 33.7% of private-sector employment measured in the report.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2024 annualized data, p. 3.
473,403
New York private-sector firms had fewer than 25 employees in 2024.
Those micro-businesses made up 92.7% of the state’s private-sector firms in the report’s count.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2024 annualized data, p. 3.
1.80 million
people worked for New York private-sector firms with fewer than 25 employees in 2024.
That represents 22.1% of the state’s private-sector employment in the report’s data.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2024 annualized data, p. 3.
3.9%
Growth in the number of New York private-sector firms with fewer than 100 employees from 2020 to 2024.
The number rose from 482,123 firms in 2020 to 500,994 in 2024.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2020 and 2024 annualized data, p. 3.
11.6%
Growth in employment at New York private-sector firms with fewer than 100 employees from 2020 to 2024.
Employment rose from 2,751,750 to 3,071,397 across those firms.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2020 and 2024 annualized data, p. 3.
18.6%
Share of New York workers employed by private-sector firms with fewer than 20 employees in 2024.
The underlying count was 1,433,406 workers, using the report’s Census workforce data.
Source: Empire State Development, 2025 State of Small Business Report, 2024 yearly averages, p. 4.
62%
Share of New York firms that sought financing in the prior 12 months, according to the report’s 2024 survey findings.
The report notes a 1% increase for New York firms and distinguishes this survey result from the state employment datasets.
Reading the figures well
Definitions matter.
Empire State Development defines a small business as a firm with fewer than 100 employees for this report. It separately calls firms with fewer than 25 employees micro-businesses. Some workforce figures use a fewer-than-20-employees cutoff because that is how the underlying Census data is available.
That is why this page does not blend the measures together. A statistic about firms is not automatically a statistic about jobs, and an employment dataset is not the same as a financing survey. Keeping that context next to each figure makes the page more useful to cite and less likely to be misread.
What this means for owners
Clear records give small businesses more room to act.
Many of the businesses represented in these figures are managing a lot with small teams. Current books, reconciled accounts, and understandable reports help owners see what is happening before a tax deadline, financing request, or cash-flow question raises the stakes.
Explore full-charge bookkeepingMethodology & sources
Where these statistics come from
This page summarizes the 2024 figures in Empire State Development’s 2025 State of Small Business Report. The report uses several underlying sources, including New York State Department of Labor employment data, U.S. Census workforce data, and the Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey. Individual statistics above identify the relevant report section and date.
The report defines firms with fewer than 100 employees as small businesses and firms with fewer than 25 employees as micro-businesses. Figures are reported as published and may be revised by the underlying data sources. This page will be reviewed when a newer statewide report is available.
Cite this page
Integra Accounting & Bookkeeping Services, LLC. “New York Small Business Statistics: 2024 Snapshot.” Updated October 5, 2026. https://atintegra.com/new-york-small-business-statistics