US business applications were 534,947 in September 2026 (seasonally adjusted)
Verified Confidence: high
Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.
- Commonly cited as
- "Over half a million new business applications a month"
- True origin
- U.S. Census Bureau — Business Formation Statistics (release CB26-163, Oct. 14, 2026)
- Type
- Reference fact: A frequently needed number or rule taken directly from a primary source (e.g. Pew, Census, IAB/PwC, FTC), with its as-of date.
- Year
- 2026
- Data as of
- September 2026
- Last checked
- What the source says
Business Applications for September 2026, adjusted for seasonal variation, were 534,947, an increase of 0.5 percent compared to August 2026.
- Method & sample
- Count of EIN applications filed with the IRS, seasonally adjusted. Projected business formations within 4 quarters were 29,022 for the same month.
- Drift between quote and source
- Applications are not businesses; only a small share become employers (29,022 projected formations)
- Interest
- n/a (federal statistical agency).
Safe rephrasing
Census counted 534,947 seasonally adjusted US business applications in September 2026; it projects only about 29,000 of that month's applications to become employer businesses within a year.
Sources we opened
- Census — Business Formation Statistics (primary)
Machine-readable: /api/claims/census-business-applications-534947-sept-2026.json · Last checked 2026-10-16